Home, Sweet, Midnight
by BaBeSgIrL
Summary: (Warning: based off of the TV show, told in 3rd Person and revolves around a female OC) At first Midnight, Texas seems like a nice quiet town to hide out in, at least that's what Gypsy Xylda's ghost tells her grandchildren, but they soon find out there is more to the town than what's on the surface.
1. Welcome to Midnight

_Author note: My plot bunnies have multiplied, this rabid little idea bit me after I started watching the new TV series._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris._

Chapter One - Welcome to Midnight

Manfred was basking in the warm sunlight on his bare torso and taking in the view of the Dallas cityscape from his penthouse window when he heard a voice from behind him.

"So, when is your mark getting here?"

A hint of a smile curled his lips, "Rachel is a client, who pays for my services."

A young woman who looked to be in her early-twenties (but Manny knew she was just as old as him) came to stand beside him a large mug of coffee in her hands and her white t-shirt declaring 'I Drink Coffee for Your Protection'. She took a sip and smacked her lips before speaking, "Last time I checked, lawyers and prostitutes were the ones getting _knowingly_ paid to lie to their "clients" and you're neither. Now a conman on the other hand—," She shot him a challenging look over the rim of her mug as if asking him to disagree.

He waited until she was taking a sip of her coffee, then grinned impishly, "Yeah, but in the end my clients are just as satisfied."

She sputtered a laugh that transitioned into a cough. It took a minute for the coughing to subside, by that time her jade-green eyes were slightly damp with tears. "Are you trying to kill me, jerk!"

Manny held his hands up in surrender. "Hey! You walked right into that one. I just took advantage of an opportunity."

"Whatever, _Brutus_ , go get dressed," was the reply accompanied by an exaggerated eye roll. The girl turned away, her vibrant wine red curls whipping the air behind her.

"Aw, come on, Winnie," he cajoled while gently tousling the girls hair causing the minty scent of her shampoo to waft around them, "So, what are you going to do this morning?"

She turned giving him a mild-reproachful look, "Well, if I didn't have to make myself scarce I would still be sleeping, but since that's not an option…I'm thinking about hanging out at the café two blocks over, so I can drink more caffeine than is probably healthy while using the free Wifi to binge watch cartoons and occasionally ogling the hot baristas. Nothing special. Besides, it's Saturday, you know I try not to plan out my weekends."

"Yeah, sure, I'll see you later," he said walking into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

"Yup, Peace out," she said, and both unknowingly shared the same crooked smile at the old quip.

* * *

Winnie unabashedly stared at the tall, dark-haired barista that was bent over and cleaning a table across from her as she waited for her video to download. It was the sudden lighting of her phone's screen that drew her eyes away. Sighing once she had read the new message, Winnie quickly packed up her things and was on her way back to the penthouse in minutes.

Manny was talking the second she walked through the door, "I'm already done packing my stuff so I'll grab the food. Can you get the stuff in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I've got it," was the answer as she quickly and efficiently packed away her things into her bags and then all of their personal items from the bathroom.

They met up when they were done all of their bags and box of foodstuff sitting next to the door, "That mess…I take it things didn't go so well this time. What happened?"

"The dead husband didn't like his wife dating his old friend. He took over and tried to kill her so they could be together," he saw the raised eyebrows and the silent 'oh' before a look of concern play across her face, he nodded to the unasked question, "It didn't last long. I'm fine."

"You need to be more careful, possession during a séance isn't uncommon, but that's amateur stuff. You know better, Manny." She glanced at the woven bracelet peeking out from under his shirt sleeve, "It didn't work, huh?"

Manny placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "No, it helped. I could feel it disrupting the ghost's energy and it was easier to fight him off. It helped fend off a possessing spirit, just like you said it would when you made it," he pulled her into a one armed hug and kissed her forehead, "You're awesome, Winnie. My personal good luck charm."

Her response was to poke him in the ribs and they each squeezed a little tighter before letting go and grabbing their stuff.

* * *

Winnie had been stretched out on the long seat in the back playing solitaire on her phone most of the ride, but she moved up to the passenger seat as the RV passed by the buildings on the outskirts of town. Reading the sign outside the church, "Weddings and pet funerals by appointment only," she let out a small hum, "…I wonder how many weeks you need to book in advance."

The rest of the ride was quiet both siblings not saying a word until they parked outside the pawn shop, where they would be meeting their new landlord.

"Looks…nice," Winnie said quietly.

Manny nodded as he turned the engine off and got out of his seat, "Come on, let's go find Bobo."

She rose with a groan and quietly groused, "I hate pawn shops," before they could exit the RV a black Land Rover rumbling by close to the door causing her brother to jump back and shut the door, "Whoa, Manny! You okay?"

"Yeah," he said a little breathless, this time looking both ways as he exited their ride.

Winnie stayed back as Manny approached the woman who got out of the other vehicle. There was something about the woman that made Winnie cautious, something dangerous. When the stranger glanced at the siblings Winnie saw the woman's eyes even through the dark shades, and suddenly there was a flash of red and the sound of a gunshot.

Manny glanced at the case the woman was carrying, "Musician? Pawning a...trumpet?"

"That's it. You nailed it." the woman answered in a deadpan voice as she entered a door to the building, but not the shop.

Once the door closed behind the stranger, Winnie caught up to her brother and nudged his shoulder, "I'm starting to think Grandma was wrong about how safe this place is."

"It's definitely not the friendliest," he said while entering the shop.

Reaching for her brother's hand as soon as she heard the voices, Winnie said, "Maybe we should wait outside."

Manny offered a weak smile as they walked further into the store. The voices had started getting louder as they passed by the old muskets but the rising sound of battle was washed away by a living voice.

"Hey," wearing startled looks they turned to see a man with short brown hair, a square stubbled jaw, and a polite smile, "You must be Manfred, and you, Miss."

"Oh, uhm, I'm his sister, Winifred but usually I go by Winnie," she replied with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you both. Well I've got the time if you two are ready to take a look at the place we talked about," Bobo invited.

Manny nodded vigorously, "Now would be great," and they quickly headed out of the store, both siblings quietly breathing sighs of relief.

"You made good time from Dallas," Bobo said conversationally.

"No traffic the last five hours," Manny replied but he couldn't help adding, "Which _I_ spent the whole time driving."

Winnie elbowed him in the ribs. "I'm not qualified to drive a tank," she muttered under her breath.

The owner smiled as they reached the edge of the shop and stopped at the corner, "No there isn't," he turned to Manny with a knowing look before continuing, "I'll show you your new home."

The place in front of them received different reactions from the siblings, Manny gave it a dismal look while Winnie appeared a little worried.

"Part of the roof is gone, like it got squashed by the other building," Winnie whispered.

Manny let out a loud breath and followed after the other man.

"Come on," Bobo coaxed. The owner seemed to shift to landlord mode as they entered the house. "The last tenant left the furniture. If particle board bothers you, you're welcome to come by the shop."

"It's f—It's fine I like newer things," Manny stated as he checked out the small house.

There was a joking smile on the other man's face as he spoke, "RV outside suggests otherwise."

"Better the ghost's you know," Winnie said as she looked into the bedroom, "Only one bed in there. Do you want to flip for who sleeps in the van?"

Manny scoffs as he moves toward the kitchen.

"Hey, I gotta come clean, man. I checked you out before renting the house."

Manny turns around to face the shorter man with a wary look, "I hope it's not a problem."

"That you're a psychic?" Bobo asked before chuckling, "No, just the opposite. I was gonna offer you a month's free rent if you could help me out."

Manny looked interested and walked back to Bobo.

The man continued, "My fiancée, well…Aubrey, she—she walked out. And she's not returning my calls—"

"Let me stop you," Manny interrupted, "It's—It's not real. I tell people what they want to hear. I'm just really good at reading people. That's all it is."

Bobo seemed to back pedal but was still politely smiling, "Well, no harm in asking. You got the place for a month. You need it any longer-"

"I know where to find you. Thanks."

"Mm-hmm."

Winnie watched their landlord leave and her brother walk back into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes, as much as her brother advertises about being a psychic his reluctant to actually be one was a little hypocritical. With that thought she followed Bobo having to run to catch up with him.

"Bobo wait, please," Winnie said as they walked around the corner. She didn't reach out to stop him but was happy when he turned around. She looked into his grey-blue eyes for the first time and for a moment a feeling of safety washed over her and she suddenly knew Bobo Winthrop better than she had a second ago, she knew she could trust him.

She spoke quietly when she continued, "Please understand, this morning my brother performed a séance and it didn't go so well, right now he's more cautious than usual. If you take that into account and add in the fact that a lot of people out there don't like the idea of psychics, for one reason or another, and often take offence at living next to one, you can probably see his hesitation to help. I'm sorry that he lied to you, but he did it to protect himself…and me."

"You're…" Bobo started, "You're a psychic too?"

"Yes," admitted Winnie, the word was almost a whisper, and then bit her lip, "I also have empathic abilities and occasionally get visions. Grandma once told me it was "woman's intuition at its finest". So, maybe I can help?"

Bobo seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and then smiled, "That would be great."

She smiled back before becoming more serious, "Now you said your fiancé left, did she leave anything behind?"

"Yeah, a couple suitcases full of clothes and some other stuff," Bobo said with a slight shrug.

"Having something that belonged to her should help me find out where she is. I might be able to get a vision, but there's no guarantee. Just—Just let me get settled in and I can check out what she left behind." She knew she sounded hesitant but the only reason for that was, in a small town like Midnight where everyone knew each other, she didn't want to seem like she was coming onto the man. The last thing she wanted was to be labeled a floozy.

"How about after work? All of Aubrey's stuff is at my place, so we can go there as soon as Lem takes over."

"Sounds like a plan, see you later," she said with a nod.

"Thank you," he said with genuine happiness and relief as he thrust out his hand toward her.

Winnie accepted the handshake, and for a split second there was only the feeling of her smaller hand in his stronger one, but then a vision hit. It only lasted a second but was so heart wrenching the actual organ in her chest skipped a beat. _Bobo was on his knees in mud, his body seeming to have given out on him and tears streamed down his handsome face that had been twisted in utter misery_. Then she was back to looking at the man's smiling visage, but the vision of that same face filled with pain was burned into her mind's eye.

She gave a wavering smile, "Don't mention it."

A minute later, Winnie walked back into the small house she and her brother would be staying in.

"So you ready to flip for the bed?" Manny asked standing at the kitchen counter munching on a cookie.

"How about I take the RV for tonight? It's a new place, and I'd sleep easier in there."

Her brother looked worried, "Yeah, sure, something wrong?"

She could only shrug but then she looked curiously at the cookie, "Where did that come from?"

"House warming gift," he answered around a bite of cookie as he handed her a note on a piece of what looked like homemade stationary.

She read the note and then raised an eyebrow at him. "You do know those could be poisoned right? How many have you eaten?"

"Like, three," he paused to look down at the remaining bite in his hand before shoving it in his mouth, "I can handle having cookies as my last meal."

She could only shake her head.

* * *

Hours later, after moving some stuff inside and unhitching Winnie's small trailer from the back of the RV, the two siblings were headed to the local restaurant. Winnie being the last one out had left a note on the door, 'Out for Dinner'.

"Pretty quiet," Winnie observed, "It's kind of nice."

Manny slung an arm around her shoulders, "Yeah, it is, now come on. Those cookies didn't kill me but they didn't fill me up either."

They laughed as they walked through the door and taking in the people already seated. The first person to catch Winnie's eye was the man they had seen walking around the church earlier, his bolo tie was interesting, and she smiled when he looked up at them.

Manny's arm went from her shoulders to her back to keep her moving, his sister had a habit of staring when she found something intriguing. It was because she liked to draw; when she didn't have her sketchbook Winnie would stare at things for a long time, picking out all the details, so she could draw them later.

They made it to the bar where Manny stopped to talk to the woman behind the counter and Winnie wandered further down to look at the rest of the dining area.

"I'd like to place an order to go," the psychic said to the back that was mostly on display. He would admit to admiring the view.

The waitress turned around and a moment later a spark of recognition entered her eyes, "You're Manfred. Bobo said he had a new tenant. I saw your RV, nice ride."

"I know. Real chick magnet."

They shared a smile before she introduced herself, "I'm Creek. I live behind the Gas & Go with my dad and little brother, Connor."

Manny smiled, "Cool."

From her place, Winnie rolled her eyes.

"Follow me," Creek said before walking down to the other side of the bar.

"Where?" But he was already moving.

"The Midnighter's Room. It's where we sit. Except for Rev. He eats alone. Now that you live here, you eat with us."

"That order was to go," Winnie muttered, then started shaking her head as her brother walked right past her, "and now I'm invisible."

Manny's brow knit, "So if Midnighters eat there then—"

"The rest of the folks are ranchers, folks from Davy," the girl explained.

"Well I don't want to bother."

The waitress scoffed, "You're not. It's usually more crowded. Folks are getting ready for tomorrow. It's the annual fall picnic. You should come."

"Well, if you'll be there."

Creek smiled and gave him a quick once over, then changed the subject as she tilted her head toward the table they had stopped beside, "You meet your neighbors yet?"

"Sort of," he glanced over at the woman they had met outside the pawn shop, who was now a blonde, "You're the non-musician."

A deep voice answered as the blonde just smiled stiffly, "That's Olivia."

Manny turned to the man at the table who also turned his bald head toward Manny. His electric blue eyes surprising the brunette, but the contrast to the man's dark skin made his eyes fascinating to Winnie.

The stranger's glance flicked to Winnie for a second, which left Winnie with the impression of hunger in her belly. The female psychic moved behind the waitress and out of his line of sight.

The man continued by introducing himself, "Lemuel Bridger."

"You eat beef?" Creek suddenly said, causing Manny to direct his attention back at her.

"Wouldn't have moved to Texas if I didn't," was his witty reply.

Winnie wanted to groan at his obviousness. 'He cons people out of their money on a daily bases, but then he flirts like a teenager,' she thought.

"Do you trust me?"

"No. But I'll let you pick out my dinner," he answered and his sister silently facepalmed.

"You'll like it. I promise." With that she walked back out of the room, not even noticing Winnie. Manny's eyes followed the sway of her hips.

"Don't let her father see you looking at her like that," Lemuel warned.

"I didn't mean any offense," Manny explained making his way to a chair at the other end of the table, "If I'm interrupting—"

"You're not," the blonde said quickly, but then got up to leave, laying her hand on her companion's shoulder as she walked out.

Lemuel suddenly decided to change seats taking the one on Manny's left, so Winnie moved to sit on her brother's right.

"I live under the pawn shop, work the night shift."

Manny started to nod, "That's very nice."

"Tch, manners," Winnie admonished, "I'm Winifred Bernardo, but please call me Winnie, and this is my brother Manfred or Manny. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lemuel."

The dark man smiled, "The pleasure is mine, and just Lem is fine."

Suddenly Lem's attention was directed to something over Winnie's shoulder, "Apologies."

Manny looked at his confused, "For what?"

The next second Lemuel had Manny pressed against the table and Winnie watched as her brother started gasping and turning blue, she startled and reached over to try and remove the other man's hands from her brother, but as soon as her hands touched his she felt a draining feeling like every drop of energy in her body was slowly being sucked out of her.

It felt like the sensation lasted forever but then suddenly Lemuel released Manny and Winnie was able to pull her hands back.

The bald man spoke quickly, "It's been awhile since I've eaten. I'm weak, and I was worried. They look like they could be trouble, so I leeched energy."

"Leeched?" Manny rasped his breath causing condensation on the table, "What are you exactly?"

"Vampire's one word for it," Lemuel said, almost blasé about the fact.

Manny and Winnie both flinched back with gasps, "Seriously? Holy…what the hell?"

"I'm beginning to take offense. Frankly, I'm less frightening than those Sons of Lucifer. Here," Lem said passing a glass over to Manny, "You'll feel better." Lem watched as the brunette took several gulps, and then turned to him in surprise while silently passing the glass to the redhead, "Told you."

Manny just chuckled and shared a look with Winnie who could tell what he was thinking and grinned back.

"What's so funny?"

"Usually we're the freaks in the room," Winnie explained.

"So, uh…" Manny started and then gestured to his neck area, "none of this neck thing?"

"Oh, that's always on the menu."

Suddenly a plate was set in front of the male psychic, "Madonna's pot roast special."

Manny picked-up the plate and started shoveling the delicious smelling food into his mouth and Winnie licked her lips, the hunger she had picked up from Lem earlier and the leeching of her energy had caused her own hunger to reach almost painful levels.

Creek smiled with a small chuckle, "See, I told you you'd like it. So, if you want, I could stop by your place tomorrow and we could go to the picnic."

"I'm not sure. I had a big day of driving…I'm spent." Manny waffled.

Lem interrupted, "You'll feel better in the morning. I'll have to miss it, but you should go. Midnight…is very different in daylight."

"Excuse me," Winnie said bursting the bubble that had seemed to form around her keeping the other woman from noticing her, "I'll have the same thing and a Coke, please."

Creek blinked, "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't see you, but you can't sit in here, residents only."

Winnie's face went blank before she spoke, "I've been here the whole time, my brother and I came in together. _We_ just moved here."

"Oh sorry…"

Winnie shook her head, "Don't worry, it happens sometimes, let's just forget about it. So, food?"

The waitress looked like she had to mentally shake herself, "Yeah, I'll be right back."

Winnie's stomach gave a very loud growl that the other three could hear, and her cheeks heated up as she laughed, "Thank you."

* * *

After dinner, they said their goodbyes to Lemuel then headed back to their new house, where they said their good-nights to each other before Manny went inside.

Winnie was just about to open the door to the RV when Bobo came around the corner of the shop. It was so quiet but she still didn't hear him until he spoke up.

"Hey, Winnie," said woman jumped and turned around. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he apologized with an amused grin.

She snorted with a raised brow, "Forgive me, but I'm having a hard time believing you with that look on your face."

"Well," his smile was charmingly crooked, "So, are you still alright with heading over to my place? I'm leaving now."

"Yeah, sure, now is fine."

Bobo drove them to a nice house on the other side of town, and then lead her up to the bedroom where Audrey's clothes had been left in the closet. Winnie ran her hands over each article of clothing that belonged to Aubrey but frowned.

She looked over at the man and shook her head, "Sorry. I'm just not getting anything."

A sad smile played across Bobo's face, "Well, at least you tried."

Winnie opened her mouth to say something but stopped and sighed instead. "It's been a long day, maybe I'm too tired. How about I try again tomorrow?"

Bobo shook his head. "I won't be here, tomorrow's the picnic," he said, "Did you hear about it yet?"

"Yeah," she admitted with a sardonic smirk, "The waitress, Creek, mentioned it to my brother at the restaurant. Funny thing though, _I_ wasn't actually included in that invitation."

"Well then, Ms. Bernardo, I would like to invite you to the Annual Fall Picnic tomorrow," he said with a polite smile which Winnie returned.

"I accept your invitation, Mr. Winthrop," a moment later a hesitant look passed over her face, "but it will be awkward if I have to play third wheel to my brother."

"I wouldn't mind taking you," Bobo quickly offered, "though I will be leaving early to help set up."

Winnie nodded. "That would be nice but I have my own ride, so we could just meet up at the shop and I'll follow behind you?"

"Alright, I'll swing by around seven in the morning. Now, it's pretty late. Let me take you home."

* * *

The next morning, Winnie was up around six so she could get ready. She showered and dressed in black jeans and a pink tank top asking 'Why fit in when you were born to stand out?', then cooked and ate breakfast with Manny before going out to the trailer, which had been moved to the opposite side of the house as the RV.

Opening the doors wide and sliding out the extendable ramp, she gazed around the inside of the eight-foot trailer. Cabinets on the walls and in the back held all of her worldly possessions, and securely strapped down in the middle of the trailer was her black Kawasaki Ninja.

It always made her smile when she saw the beautiful bike. She had been eighteen when she got it. With the way her family lived it had been hard to save up money and she had never even dreamed of owning a motorcycle.

But one day, a man her grandma had been talking to was skeptic about their abilities as psychics, so he made a bet with Zylda; if her grandmother could tell him something about himself that no one else knew, he would give her a hundred thousand dollars as payment. Needless to say, they walked away a hundred thousand dollars richer and Zylda had allowed her to buy the trailer and motorcycle after a very convincing argument.

She pulled her helmet and riding jacket out of the closest cabinet and then wheeled the bike out of the trailer, closing and locking it up, before moving to wait in front of the pawn shop.

Bobo pulled up ten minutes to seven and smiled, "That's a nice ride. I'm guessing it was in that trailer of yours. You ready to go?"

"Yep," she chirped happily, "Right behind you."

Winnie pulled on her helmet, fully covering her head and face, zipped up her riding jacket and then pulled her messenger bag across her chest before swinging across the bike. The engine came to life with the twist of the key and then they were gone.

They parked on the grass next to each other. Winnie took off her helmet and jacket, and left them on the seat. Bobo got out of his truck and went around to the bed to opened it. He was quick to drag one of the boxes over the tailgate and starting walking toward the picnic area.

"Can I help?" Winnie asked as he walked away.

He half turned, throwing a grin over his shoulder, "I'd appreciate that, just leave the heavier ones for me."

Together they carried the boxes over to the grill, then Winnie stepped back trying not to get in the way. After a while it became obvious that people were avoiding her and Winnie started to think that maybe she shouldn't have come.

She picked out a tree with decent shade to sit under and took off her messenger bag, she usually carried around her laptop but had left it at the house; instead she pulled out her sketchbook and started drawing pieces of the landscape. She had just gotten finished with a small sketch of a tree across the clearing when she felt something on her leg. Looking down, Winnie saw the small brown lizard that had crawled onto her knee.

"Hello," she said quietly not wanting to scare it off, "Would you like me to sketch you?" The lizard didn't move so she took that as a silent 'yes'.

She did two sketches of the animal without it ever moving. Afraid that it might be hurt, she put down her book and pencil then slowly reached for the small creature. It followed the movement of her hand but didn't even twitch as she stroked its back. Nothing.

"Are you okay?" She asked and picked the lizard up to bring it to eye level, it moved around in her palm as if making sure it didn't fall but didn't even try to jump off. Looking it over, there were no obvious signs of harm, so she continued to stroke its back and shortly after the lizard closed its eyes and seemed to fall asleep.

"Well, that's certainly interesting," a voice said from beside her and Winnie looked up to see a Hispanic male with dark eyes and hair looking down at her and the animal in her hands.

"Uhm," she said then looked down at the lizard and realized that it almost looked dead which would be weird to anyone that walked by.

"It's not dead!" Winnie insisted, "It just…fell asleep…at least I think it did," she finished awkwardly.

She picked the animal up with the hand that wasn't holding it and it instantly woke up, "Time to go home, buddy," she said sitting the lizard on the ground beside her and it quickly scampered off. Winnie smiled up at the man with an openly relieved face, "See, not dead."

The man chuckled lightly. "I see that. I also saw that it was pretty comfortable with you. Not just anyone can tame a wild beast," he stated.

Winnie picked up her sketchbook and tucked it back into her bag before getting up while dusting off the seat of her jeans; the man seemed to wait until she was done before he extended his hand and she shook it, hesitantly expecting a vision and relaxing when one didn't come.

"My name is Chuy," he nodded his head to Winnie's left, "That's my husband Joe over their playing with Rasta."

"Winifred but I really prefer Winnie," she looked over at the long blonde-haired man playing fetch with a dog, "Cute dog. Wait, I saw him coming out of the tattoo shop yesterday, looked like he was going for a run. I remember thinking his hair looked nice, clean, there are some men I've seen with long hair but most of the time it looks greasy, like they don't take care of it."

Chuy let out a surprised chuckle, "True, he does have nice hair." He gave his husband an appraising look, eyes full of affection, "Though that's not usually the first thing women notice," he said shooting her a sly glance.

"Well, he is good looking, I won't deny that but...I don't actually find myself attracted to him. Must be my intuition telling me he's unavailable," she smirked, "But honestly, you guys make an attractive couple."

He smiled kindly and looked pleasantly surprised, "Thank you. So, Winnie, what are you doing over here all alone?"

"Drawing," she said with a shrug, "but mostly trying to stay out of the way. I was getting the whole outsider vibe. I figured it would be easier to sit back and let everyone get used to seeing me. Someone was bound to get curious enough to talk to me. I'm used to it, my brother and I have been moving around practically all our lives. It's the same thing everywhere we go."

"And your brother's not here?"

"No, um, Creek invited Manny, he's going to show up with her."

Chuy looked confused, "So how did you get here?"

"Bobo showed me how to get here this morning."

"It's a good thing he did." They both shared smiles. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Joe. Are you okay with dogs?"

"You kidding, I love dogs! I just never got to have one. Is it okay if I play with your dog?"

The twenty-something girl looked so much like an innocent child when she asked her question, that Chuy had to laugh, "Of course."

* * *

Winnie was still playing with Rasta and Joe, and Chuy had wandered over to the grill by the time Manny arrived. It was shortly after that, Rasta got distracted from chasing the ball and had started barking at something. Joe started calling out to quiet the animal as two women began moving to see what was wrong with the canine. Winnie got a strange twist in her gut and a chill up her spine, worried she started following the women.

The dark-haired woman, who Winnie had heard others call Fiji and was obviously the one that left cookies for her and her brother, screamed. It startled the psychic girl for a moment before she ran the rest of the distance to the other two females. Noticing how they were both staring at something in the same direction, Winnie followed their line of sight to see what it was. It didn't take long to spot the disturbance; bellow them was a river bed, the water level was low but the ground was still muddy and laying half-in/half-out of the water was a body.

The sound of running footsteps drew Winnie's attention and she watched as Bobo stopped next to Fiji.

"What's wrong," his concerned face searching for what had caused the woman to scream; Winnie saw the instant the man's eyes caught the figure in the water.

Bobo's features rapidly flitted from concern to surprise and he quickly made his way down to the river bed, where his expression became one of shock before morphing into utter sadness, and then the tears came; suddenly Winnie was living the scene that she had glimpsed for a split second the day before.

Before Winnie knew, a crowd had gathered at the edge of the drop off. Manny came up behind his sister and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You alright?" He whispered in her ear.

Winnie nodded in answer. As they watched, the two psychics saw the head of the dead woman turn to look directly at them. Winnie pressed herself against her brother in shock, and he responded by squeezing her shoulders in reassurance.

The Sheriff's department showed up later and Winnie stood next to her brother as he spoke with the deputy getting more and more annoyed the longer the woman talked, but she never let it show on her face. Manny answered all of the questions and when it was over he had Winnie follow behind Creek on the way back to town.

* * *

Startled by the banging at the RV door, Winnie sprung up into a sitting position.

"It's your brother," Xylda told her granddaughter making the girl groan.

"What the hell, Manny?" asked Winnie as she answered the door in her tank top and sleep pants, "It's still dark," she hissed and her tone said there better be a good reason for waking her up.

"I just got a visit from Aubrey. She wants to tell me something but she can't talk, every time she tries water comes out. I need the board and stuff to make a circle," he quickly explained moving into the RV and around his sister as he talked.

"Don't forget the holy water," Xylda said.

"Please, tell me you are not planning on doing a séance in our new house?" Winnie ask incredulously. When he just looked at her she sighed and rolled her eyes, "Idiot. Let me get some clothes on."

The Sun had come up by the time they had gathered everything together, Winnie carefully drew out the protection circle, "If this doesn't go completely belly-up. I'll have to cleanse the house and add major protection charms, maybe then I'll feel comfortable enough to actually sleep in here."

"You never had problems with me doing a séance before," Manny groused.

"Yeah, but before we weren't living in a house. Don't you remember what Grandma taught us? Hotels are where people and energies move frequently, because of the constant transition it is easier to summon and banish spirits. A house is a place that is more permanent and energy accumulates. Ghosts in a home can feed on that energy, and spirits form stronger attachments to a structure they can claim ownership of, making it harder to get rid of them."

He sighed, "Alright, I think we're ready. Let's get started."

Later, Winnie was able to refrain from saying 'I told you so', but it was a close thing. Then they saw the deputy pull up outside the house.

Winnie shook her head and threw up her hands, "I'm out. I need coffee. I can barely deal with you before my second cup on a normal day, but ghosts invading the house and something growling under the floor, not a normal day," she said walking to the back door in the kitchen and yanking it open. She turned around to look at her brother, "Try not to get into any more trouble while I'm gone." Then the door shut cutting off anything that her brother might have said.

Winnie had to walk all the way to the end of the alley and around the pawn shop to make it back to their street, which was when she saw Manny leaving with the deputy.

"What are you doing, Manny?" Winnie groaned quietly, noticing he wasn't in handcuffs she was able to calm her worry, hopefully he would be fine.

Walking into the pawn shop to get off of the street, Winnie found Bobo in his office.

"Hey," she said standing in the door frame, white letters across the chest of her black baby doll tee declaring 'I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost', "My idiot brother is talking to one of the deputies, but she's the same one from yesterday and she was rude. I have not had enough coffee to deal with rude right now, so I left before I could put a curse on her. Can I hang out here?"

Bobo looked surprised but nodded, "Sure…wait you can curse people?"

She gave a half shrug as if it was nothing, "Well, yeah, with the power and know-how it's easy. I mean, simple curses are just summoning spirits to haunt a specific target and enact the will of the caster. Gypsies have been doing it for a long time."

Bobo let out a nervous chuckle. "Should I be worried?" he asked, only slightly joking.

"That depends," Winnie said with a blank expression. "Do you have coffee?" she asked her face shifting into a smile, and they both laughed.

"Yeah."

A few minutes later, Bobo and Winnie were sitting in his office together. Since the psychic had been willing to help him before, Bobo had no problem sharing what the Sheriff had told him that morning.

Winnie's eyebrows were knit tightly in thought, "So she was married to this Lowry guy, who's a member of a white supremacist group," Winnie paused to sip her coffee, "That's really hinky, especially when you take into account you're still alive."

Now Bobo seemed even more confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well Aubrey's involvement with the Sons of Lucifer would make them suspect number one, in my book. And trust me, after spending my whole life watching my grandma and brother, I've learned how to read people. A man like Lowry wouldn't just let his wife leave him, and if she ran away there is no question he would have hunted her down. If that were the case though, he would have killed whoever he found her with. Yet here you sit," explained the psychic, "It's definitely suspicious."

The conversation lapsed into silence both of them absorbed in their own thoughts. Finishing her coffee, Winnie sat the mug down on the desk.

"Thanks for the coffee," she said, then stood making sure to catch Bobo's attention. A gut feeling caused her to say her next words, "A warning from your friendly neighborhood psychic, be careful, something's up."

Bobo looked her in the eye seeing how serious the woman was and simply nodded.

* * *

Strong Angel Tattoo was a quaint shop with enough room to serve as a tattoo parlor and nail salon. Inside, Winnie saw the two men she had gotten to know at the picnic. Joe was obviously with a client and his eyes never left his work, but Chuy was by himself on the other side of the room and smiled when he saw the girl.

"Hey, what brings you here?" the black haired man asked.

"I'm not sure," she admitted honestly, "I was walking around and my feet sort of led me here."

He scoffed, "Maybe you should come sit down and give your feet a rest."

She laughed when she sat down, eyes busily scanning the items on the table.

Chuy smiled at her amusement, "What?"

"I was just thinking about how much stuff is sitting here and I'm not even sure what it's for," she saw the questioning look on his face and explained with a shrug, "I've never had my nails done professionally. One in a list of many things I never indulged in."

He gave her a raised eyebrow, "How about now, and I can show you what I use all of this stuff for."

"Just no fake-nails," she said wrinkling her nose, "that would bug me."

"Alright," he acquiesced and held out his hands, "Now let's see what we have to work with."

She held up her hands and gazed at her own slime fingers and shortly trimmed nails, almost feeling self-conscious as he took her hands in his.

"They look healthy and should be long enough to do French-tips or you can pick a color," he nodded in the direction of the polishes.

"French-tips sound like fun," she said with a childish grin, "How much?"

"Today? Ten dollars," he said starting to move things around and getting ready, "I just need you to wash your hands in the sink."

Hands washed, and a spark of forethought causing her to pull out her wallet, she sat back down and Chuy was ready to start. There were a couple of minutes of silence before Winnie interrupted it, "Do you know if the Reverend does exorcisms?"

The man's hands froze for a second and he shot her a questioning look before he resumed his work, "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

She shook her head dismissively, "Just for future reference."

"Right," he said.

She smiled, "Okay, so it might be the near future, but as much as I dislike having a evil entity under the house my gut is telling me it can wait. Aubrey's death is a more pressing matter, as long as her ghost is going to be haunting us."

"Sounds like quite the day you're having," Chuy commented.

They lapsed back into silence and it wasn't disturbed until the man stopped, "Just let this dry and we'll check it in a few minutes."

It was during that time Joe finished with his customer and the patron left. When Joe turned to them he smiled at Winnie, "Hello, Winnie. How are you doing?"

"Fine, just getting settled in, which is turning out to be a little difficult, but I've come to expect it. You can't be a wondering gypsy and expect things to be easy," she replied with a slightly sardonic smile, "Especially not when you're one-half to a set of psychic twins. But there's a silver lining, this is my first time having my nails done and they look amazing."

"Thank you. Maybe you can get a tattoo next," Chuy joked.

"No, thanks," she told him before turning to the blonde, "I mean, you're art is amazing, but tattoos aren't my thing."

"I understand," Joe said, "I don't have any myself. Now, you said you're having difficulties?"

"Just the usual stuff ghosts, evil and only having one bedroom—which will get really awkward if my brother and Creek start dating—but that just means I'll have to keep sleeping in the RV. Plus, there is this feeling I've been getting lately, it's telling me we need to go with the flow and be ready for change."

"We?" the blonde asked his head slightly tilting in question.

Winnie nodded and scrunched her brows trying to focus on the feeling that had been dogging her since the day before, "Yeah, there's an overall…" she raised her hands into the air as if holding an invisible ball, "…sense of something gathering, or a mounting tension, that will affect the whole town. A change is coming. Change isn't necessarily bad, but still, it's safer to err on the side of caution."

Chuy reached over taking one of her hands and lightly testing the paint on the girl's nails, "Well, Ms. Cleo, it looks like you don't have to be cautious about your nails, they're dry."

Winnie snickered. "Thanks, they look beautiful," she gushed as she gazed at her hands. Pulling out a ten from her wallet she handed it to Chuy as she stood up. "I think I better see what's happened to my brother. I'll see you guys later."

They gave their own farewells as she walked out, but the two men were too busy sharing a look to notice when she slipped a hundred dollar bill into the tip jar.

* * *

Manny's jacket was lying across the seat when Winnie entered the RV, and her grandmother's ghost was sitting on the bed.

"Is he in the house?" she questioned moving to the fridge for a bottle of water.

"No, that blonde woman came by, knocked your brother out and dragged him off," Xylda replied.

Winnie couldn't stop herself from doing a spit-take, spraying water all over the table, "What?! What the hell—where did they go?"

Xylda gestured to the building next-door, "Toward the pawn shop, but you should be careful."

"I have Zorba," she stated tapping the stone pendant around her neck, it was one of many she wore, "So, don't worry. I'll be back."

Winnie arrived in time to hear Manny call their grandmother a 'pathological liar' and saw him tied to a chair in his boxers with Lem, Olivia and Fiji standing around him. She waited, trying to find out what was going on, and soon found out that Lem knew their grandmother and Olivia was apparently paranoid.

"Untie him. He's one of us." Lem finally said.

"Manny, I thought I said no more weird parties," Winnie teased before pointing at everyone in the room, "You all have so much explaining to do."

Later, Manny was dressed and the others had given the siblings a brief rundown of the town. It was Fiji, who unknowingly filling the two psychics in on the problem with their unwanted house guests.

Manny expressed his wish to leave and Lem nodded, "Of course. Apologies for the little misunderstanding. This is usually a quiet and peaceful town."

Manny scoffed as he made his way to the door, "Right." Winnie and Lemuel followed him out of the building, but the redhead hesitated next to the dark-skinned man, who had stopped outside the door.

"Lem?" Winnie questioned almost in a whisper.

The quiet tone was off and Lemuel turned to the girl with a concerned frown, "Yes?"

"Bobo didn't kill Aubrey and apparently she was involved with the Sons of Lucifer, but honestly…," she stopped and bit her lip, "…I don't think they did it either."

"What are you saying?" The vampire asked.

She shrugged but her eyes were filled with worry, "Wouldn't that mean there was another killer on the loose?"

The question seemed to grab Lem's focus and he didn't speak for a few minutes, "It would, but there is no need for you to worry, at least not tonight. I'll be keeping an eye on things."

"Alright," she gave a small smile, "just be careful. Night."

"Goodnight," he said and they parted ways.

* * *

When Creek showed up at the door of the RV, Winnie didn't have to be psychic to understand the signs her brother was giving her, and announced that she was going for a walk. She didn't go very far.

Unlocking the trailer, she circled around her bike to the back cabinets. Flipping through her keychain she found the right key and opened one of the drawers. From inside, Winnie pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves embroidered with runes and symbols; next, was a set of four throwing knives in their sheath, which secured to her belt and was hidden under her shirt; and last was a pocket taser. All of these items she knew how to use.

Locking everything up, she began her walk. Winnie chose to head down the street toward the church and was surprised to see the reverend pulling the carcass of a longhorn down to his cellar, all by himself. Looking to the right, she saw Fiji on her porch doing some kind of ritual. Not wanting to disturb either person, the psychic turned back and headed the opposite direction, ending up in front of the pawn shop just as the Sheriff's cruiser arrived with its lights flashing.

Knowing that things were going to get dicey, Winnie crossed the street to stand opposite the pawn shop. The Sheriff and deputy had handcuffed Bobo and were leading him to the car as a small crowd gathered. Standing among the Midnighters, some with guns, it felt like they were seconds away from lynching the two law enforcement officers. Winnie felt like a distraction was in order.

"Wait!" yelled the gypsy girl and suddenly everyone's attention was on her, including the two officers who had stopped in their efforts to get the pawnshop owner into the vehicle.

Winnie reached her right hand inside her jacket as she spoke, "Now, let's say I'm holding a lit stick of dynamite…" she said pulling out the mentioned item with the fuse sparking. The people beside her gasped/yelled as they backed away, but she paid no mind as she moved her left hand to cover the top of the explosive then moved both hands in front of her to reveal empty hands, "…then suddenly I'm not. Which one are you more worried about, where the dynamite is, or where your prisoner went?"

At her last question, all of the eyes that had been on her moved to the figure that should have been standing between the two officers, but was now missing.

"Where is he?" asked the Sheriff to his deputy as they both spun around looking for the man they had been arresting.

"Not sure," Winnie said innocently, hands still raised and shrugged, making her way around the front of the cruiser, "but you're welcome to search me, Sheriff."

The two officers moved to intercept her, a look of anger on the Sheriff's face as he grabbed her arm, "Miss, if you just helped him escape, I can charge you with aiding and abetting."

"I didn't help him escape," she said, tone still innocent, as her eyes moved to where the car door was still open, "In fact, looks to me like he's still standing there."

When the officers looked behind them, they saw that she was right, Bobo was standing in the last place everyone had seen him. He appeared a little dazed and the deputy moved quickly to get him into the car with little resistance.

Winnie pat the stunned lawman on the face, "Seems like you just learned a lesson Sheriff," she easily slipped from his grip as she backed away with a Cheshire-grin to stop next to her brother, "You should always look twice and dig a little deeper before jumping to conclusions."

Appearing to shake himself, the Sheriff moved to the driver's side of the vehicle and called out, "Everybody, go home."

"He would never kill her. He loved her!" Fiji protested as Olivia held her back, "More than she deserved."

"Look, we have identified the murder weapon. It belonged to him," explained the Sheriff.

Lemuel was the next to speak up, "You've already decided he was guilty. I don't trust you with our friend.

"Yeah, well, I don't trust you either," replied the lawman.

"You don't want to start a war."

The statement caused a pause until the Sheriff addressed the crowd, "Clear the road."

"He's not going anywhere," a voice from the crowd called out.

Another voice said, "Neither are we."

"Go home! Just clear the road!" he yelled, and getting in his car he repeated quieter but with the same authority, "Go home."

A second after the man got behind the wheel of the car, the metal started to crinkle and the cruiser shook, as if being crushed by an invisible force.

Some of the onlookers watched the car and others glanced at Fiji, who had suddenly raised her hands as if holding something between them. Winnie noticed how the woman's eyes glowed.

The reverend placed a hand on the dark-skinned woman's arm, "Fiji, not this way. This won't help him. And tomorrow's a full moon, I'll be unavailable for a few days."

"We have got to be smart about this, Fij. Not angry," Olivia said, trying to persuade her friend to stop.

"I'll help," Manny suddenly stated and Lemuel nodded at him, "However I can. And I think I can."

After that statement, Fiji made a sound like a strained cry and suddenly her hands fell to her side at the same time the Sheriff's vehicle landed on the ground.

Through the windows of the car everyone could see the startled faces of the two officers as the Sheriff slowly started the engine. The gathered bodies parted as the car moved forward and then sped away.

As one the crowd moved back together and watched the taillights fade into the distance.

Manny glanced over to his sister and shook his head, "Alright, where's the dynamite?"

The people around them, namely Lem, Olivia, Fiji, Joe, Chuy and the reverend turned to the redhead. Winnie held up her right hand to reveal a stick of dynamite missing its fuse, "Here."

"And the Sheriff's watch?" Manny questioned.

A smirk spread across his sister's face. "Right here," said Winnie tossing something to her brother who almost missed it in the dark.

When he opened his hand they all saw the watch he was now holding.

"I did warn him to look twice," she explained as she slowly started to walk away, "so I borrowed it for teaching purposes, I'm sure when he learns his lesson you can give it back to him."

Manny scoffed and followed after his sister back to the house. Once standing in the lot in front of the building they both stopped in their tracks at what they saw. The house was lit by a red glow from underneath and the shadows of numerous ghosts pressed against the windows.

To be continued…


	2. Bad Moon Rising

_Author Note: I would like to thank everyone for there reviews, you guys rock!_

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Midnight, Texas series._

Chapter Two – Bad Moon Rising

"I'm not going to say anything," Winnie announced. She stood staring at their house which was now infested with ghosts and an evil entity that kept growling, "Not a word."

"I appreciate that," her brother replied before heaving a huge sigh and entering the RV.

Winnie watched the house for a few more seconds and could only shake her head.

"Not a word," she reminded herself and stepped into the RV.

Manny was guzzling down a beer when Winnie spotted him and she knew he had taken one of his pills. She has an identical bottle with her name on it, though she takes them less often than her brother and only when necessary, but never with alcohol. Thanks to an experience while still a teenager, Winnie is careful when it comes to drugs, legal or illegal.

"Bad night," asked Xylda from her place on the bed.

Manny didn't say anything right away, instead sitting down on the bench seat and finishing his drink. Winnie sat beside him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

When Manny finally spoke he sounded almost annoyed, "Go to Midnight, you said. Small, out of the way place. Nice folks. Just lay low, work, make money." He shook his head the whole time he was speaking.

"So that's a yes," Xylda interpreted.

"That house is infested," Manny answered waving his hand in the direction of said building, almost hitting his sister with his flailing limb, "Ghosts and whatever the hell's growling in there. Oh, and I just promised the town I'd help with—" he was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Hightower's been calling all night."

"Remember what you used to say? When the going gets tough…" Manny began, he and Xylda finished together, "We live in a house with wheels."

Xylda chuckled, "I know. But that was before I died. You don't have me anymore, Manny. You still have Winnie, but the both of you need people."

"It's a lot more than I signed up for," he admitted.

"It'll be worth it. Midnighters protect each other."

"Sure, great, kumbaya."

"You saw it with your own eyes."

He took a deep breath before facing Xylda. "I don't know if I can handle going back in there."

"It's Midnight. You don't need to pretend you're normal. Let your freak flag fly," was the vehement reply from the ghost before her voice changed to a gentler tone, "Tell 'em what's up."

"You'll always have me," Winnie said, squeezing his shoulder before moving her hand to rub circles on his back, "but it never hurts to have other people you can rely on. That's family, and we're gypsies. We need family."

"Alright," he agreed with a nod.

* * *

They went to the pawn shop, hoping to find Lemuel there, and were surprised to see Joe, the reverend, Fiji, Lem and Olivia having a meeting.

The female psychic opened her mouth to get the others attention but her brother beat her to it.

"I need help," Manny said.

Winnie was a little surprised and proud of him for admitting it.

"That's an understatement," Olivia said snidely.

The brunette twin glanced at her but didn't respond, "Here's the thing, my place is overrun with ghosts and all sorts of evil crap."

"Crap?" Fiji questions him with raised eyebrows, "Can you be more specific?"

"Poltergeist," he throws out, "Demonic entity, maybe."

"Uh, more than likely, demonic," Winnie adds.

"Well that should be taken care of," Lem responded.

Joe turned to the siblings with a questioning look, "What makes you think it's demonic?"

"The growling, for one. It's evil as—" Manny started to answer when Olivia interrupted him.

"Sure you're not trying to weasel out of keeping your word?"

"Watch it. That's my brother you're talking to," Winnie said moving toward the other woman, but was only able to take a half-step forward, since Manny had grabbed her arm.

"No," he said quickly, "I—I want to get answers from Aubrey. I'm just saying the chaos back at my place will make it hard. I need back up."

Lem was the first to speak. "The sun will be up shortly. I'm out." The vampire looked over to Fiji who nodded her head.

"Whatever you need," the dark-skinned woman assured, "I know my way around haunts."

"I'll go," Joe said, "I'm curious."

"You know CPR?" Manny asked and receiving questioning looks he explained, "Just in case it doesn't go well."

Winnie let out a gloomy chuckle and shook her head. "When does it ever go well," she said, the words causing her brother to look over at her pensively.

"Maybe you should—" Manny started to say but the finger that was suddenly in his face silenced him.

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence," she told him icily. "When you refused, I accepted Bobo's request to find Aubrey—"

"What? When did you do that?"

Winnie continued, speaking over her brother, "and now it's my responsibility to find out what happened to her. You're not the only one who has agreed to help, now we're both in this, so shut up and let's get a move on."

With that the female psychic turned on her heel and walked away. Manny looked to the others and raised an eyebrow and a smirk. "Guess that's our cue," he said before his face became slightly worried, "Seriously though, we better hurry before she starts without us."

* * *

When they arrived back at the house, the sound of flies buzzing was so loud it could be heard from outside. Inside was swarming with flies and it was cold enough to see your breath. Manny and Winnie preceded the other two into their place.

Fiji shuddered and started rubbing her hands together as she stepped through the door. She walked to the other side of the living area taking in the space. "You were right."

"Some seriously bad mojo," the tattoo artist said after closing the door behind him.

"Do you see any ghosts now?" the Wiccan asked the siblings.

Both psychics nodded and Manny spoke, "Oh, yeah." Ghosts in the form of dark clouds were everywhere, including on the ceiling, and there were so many it was almost hard to see the rest of the house.

A growl came from the floor startling everyone in the room and causing Fiji to step back.

"Oh my goddess," the dark-haired woman exclaimed.

"Whoa," Joe said in surprise.

Manny looked at them. "You saw that too?"

"That definitely feels like some sort of demonic spirit," Fiji confirmed.

That was when Manny noticed Aubrey in the kitchen.

Seeing that something had caught his attention, Fiji watched Manny and then asked, "What is it?"

"Aubrey's here." Manny started toward the kitchen, Winnie beside him and Joe moving to stay behind the two.

"Are you going to talk to her?" the blonde man asked.

"Yeah, something like that," Manny replied before holding up a hand to signal the other man, "Just, uh, stay back."

The siblings moved even closer. "Aubrey? We need your help," the brother said.

It seemed like the ghost was trying to reply but just like the other times, only a gurgling sound could be heard over the water coming out of her mouth.

"Bobo's in jail," Manny explained, "So if he didn't do it, I need you to show me who did."

Aubrey's expression grew worried and more water rushed from her mouth as she struggled to communicate.

"It's okay, we know you can't talk," Winnie said trying to ease the spirit.

"You can, uh…" he paused and swallowed, "borrow my body. Show me what happened."

When Aubrey's ghost took possession of her brother, Winnie moved to support him. Manny's hand gripped hers and Winnie was reluctantly pulled into the vision as well.

Scenes played out before their eyes, starting with the fight between Aubrey and Bobo. They could feel what she felt during the attack; the fear, the pain that she was in, and finally drowning; Aubrey showed them everything that happened before her death.

When Manny started coughing up water the feeling of liquid on her arms caused Winnie to come out of the trance, the suddenness leaving her disoriented. Joe and Fiji rushed toward them as she continued to hold up her brother.

"We need to get him out of here," Joe said taking Manny's arm and throwing it over his shoulders to support him, "Come on."

Fiji opened the door as Winnie and Joe dragged Manny out of the house.

"She's not letting him go," Winnie stated her voice a few octaves higher with panic.

"Take him to my house," Fiji instructed, "Ghosts can't enter."

Minutes later, all four of them rushed into the woman's house/shop. Manny gasped as Aubrey's spirit was repelled at the door, but he continued to cough up water before passing out.

Joe took most of Manny's weight and lowered the other man onto the couch. Winnie moved in to check his breathing. Finally able to relax when she found him breathing normally.

"He's alright, just asleep," she said quietly. She looked to the other two people, "Thank you."

Joe placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder and Fiji gave her a kind smile.

"You should sit down," Fiji told her, "I'll go make some tea."

This time it was Winnie that needed help walking. The emotional transference from the vision, then the sudden absence, plus the previous panic, had left her feeling emotionally drained and lethargic. She tripped over her own feet and if Joe hadn't been there to catch her she would have kissed the floor, painfully.

"You alright?" he asked while leading her to the nearest chair.

"I'll be fine. I'm jus' a little drained," she tried to reassure, even as her eyelids became heavy.

He pat the crown of her head in a soothing manner as she fought unconsciousness. "Then you should rest too. Your brother looks like he'll be out for a while."

"Yeah," she said the word as more of a sigh before her eyes closed and didn't open.

* * *

There was a sensation that woke her from her sleep, which was anything but peaceful as she relived the vision she had shared with her brother.

"Winnie," Manny called.

When her eyes opened she saw Manny standing next to her with a hand on her shoulder, he was obviously trying to wake her up. She took a deep breath and stretched.

"What's up," she asked sitting up from her slouched position in the chair.

"Joe is driving me to Davy. I need to go talk to the Sheriff, and I figure that with what happened last night, it would be better if you stayed here. While I'm gone, Fiji's going to get everything ready for an exorcism. Maybe you can help her out."

"Yeah, sure, I'll see you when you get back," she said. He nodded and started walking away when she remembered something, "Oh, don't forget to give him the watch."

He chuckled and responded before he left, "I got it."

Fiji came in a little while later and added more things to what had been gathered on the table.

"Alright, that should be the last of it," she announced, "Now we just need to get this over to your house and get it set up. Ready?"

"As ready as I can be," Winnie responded while reaching up to one of her pendants and running her thumb over the engraved metal.

* * *

When they arrived at the house it was the same as before. Ghosts everywhere, but this time they seemed to be more and more agitated as the two women brought in everything Fiji had gathered.

"Whoa!" Winnie exclaimed as two ghosts, lunged at her.

"What?" Fiji asked in alarm.

"The ghosts," she started, "They're not happy."

"No, I suspect they wouldn't be," Fiji acknowledged.

Winnie's eyes strayed over to the glowing floorboards. "Are you going to put up a barrier around that, just in case it tries to attack you during the séance?"

There was a hint of haughtiness in Fiji's smile as she replied, "No, the goal is to banish all of the entities from the house at once. A barrier would be too much of a hindrance."

Winnie gave a tight smile, "Right. Then I'll go wait outside and let you do your thing, but…you should seriously consider protection," she said, then started backing toward the door while raising her hands in a non-confrontational gesture, "Just saying."

"Alright," Fiji said warily, "We're done with the hard part. I can finish the rest."

* * *

Joe dropped Manny off just before sundown, and soon after both psychics stood on the porch looking through the window while Fiji took care of their ghost problem.

"I don't know why but I've got a bad feeling," Winnie muttered to herself before turning to her brother.

"So how did it go with the Sheriff?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not sure. He was glad to have his watch back, but it was hard to tell if he believed me or not. We'll just have to wait and see. Apparently Joe has faith," Manny finished with a grin.

"I'm sure you did your best, and that's all anyone can ask. You stuck your neck out," she bumped him with her shoulder, "I'm proud of you."

There was a noise in the distance that made them turn around.

"Was that a scream?" Manny questioned.

She gulped before replying, "It sounded like one."

He started moving toward the direction of the noise and his sister followed closely behind him.

Winnie saw the cruiser. "What's the Sheriff doing here?"

Manny just shook his head as his eyes scanned the other side of the street. Seeing something he crossed the road and stopped under a tree. He heard his sister gasp as they both got a closer look at the body in the tree. It was the same deputy that had talked to them after Aubrey's death and had come to arrest Bobo the night before.

"She's dead. Why is she in the tree? Wait, why is she even in Midnight?" Winnie wondered.

"I don't know but we need to warn everyone, right now," he said heading down the street to the restaurant.

"Where closed," the female owner said as they walked through the door.

Manny headed straight over to Madonna, who was whipping down the bar.

"You can't let anyone leave," he whispered.

She gave him a half-confused, half-annoyed look, "I can't?"

"Something's out there," he began explaining, "Something strong enough to kill a person and hoist 'em up a tree."

"It's a full moon," she murmured and blinked a few times before turning to the diners still eating, "You know what? Just scratch that. You can stay as long as you need."

Manny began looking around but then asked, "Where's Creek? She said she was working."

"She is, just not here," Madonna answered as she placed her phone to her ear and walked away with dishes in her other hand.

The siblings looked at each other before simultaneously heading for the door and to the Gas & Go.

* * *

"Creek!" Manny started calling out from the street, but it sounded like music was playing in the store and he knew she wouldn't hear him. They had just reached the space between the gas pumps and the door when the music turned off.

There was a noise and the twins looked to their right to see a large figure heading for them. Grabbing Manny by the back of his jacket, Winnie yanked her brother out of the way but still heard the sound of cloth being shredded as a large animal ran passed them.

"Ah!" Manny cried out. His left hand went to his side to clasp the wound.

Manny and Winnie ran inside to get away and Creek must have seen what happened as she beckoned them in, "Come here! What was that."

"It's a tiger," he answered.

And Winnie added, "A huge one."

"What?" Creek squeaked in disbelief. "Come with me." They rushed to the maintenance bay in the back, "This way here," she said pointing to an open bay door but the tiger was already making its way inside using that door.

"Not this way," Manny said grabbing Creeks arm to tug her after him and pushing Winnie back the way they came.

They ran out of the garage. Thinking fast Creek took a wrench and broke the car lift causing a vehicle to drop on the tiger.

Manny turned back once they made it out causing the women with him to stop.

"Why the hell are we stopping?" Winnie questioned.

"Why the hell is there a tiger?" Creek asked at the same time, sounding out of breath.

Manny looked up from checking his wound, "I think it's the Rev."

The growling in the garage grew louder and they all looked to the building.

"What? Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine. Let's move, now!" Manny replied. He grabbed both his companions' hands and started running not letting go until he knew the girls were keeping up. Manny led them back to the RV and held the door open as they got inside then quickly shutting it behind him.

"How bad is it," Creek asked as Manny finished climbing the stairs. She found a light above the bench and turned it on.

"Ah," he grunted as he raised the shirt to reveal three long scratches on his side.

Creek gasped as her hands went to cover her mouth, "Oh, my—it's not that bad."

"Never play poker," Manny told her.

"Sorry, sorry." She turned to try and find something to help and found a rag, "I just need to apply pressure."

He gasped when he pressed the rag to the wound and the girl gave a sympathetic wince.

"Does that hurt?" she whispered.

He tried to smile flirtatiously but his forehead was still creased with pain, "Less so at the moment."

"Well, good. It's the least I can do."

"Just so you know, once I'm not bleeding, I'll try for that kiss again."

"Well, just so you know, a little blood doesn't scare me," Creek countered, and they both started to lean toward each other.

Winnie was not about to watch her brother kiss the waitress so she turned away to look out the window. She let out a scream when the RV was hit.

Manny scrambled to the cutlery drawer and handed Creek a chef knife, "Here take this."

She took it, "Huh? Nothing with bullets?"

"I'm new to Texas," he told her, "Winnie?"

"Right here," she answered showing him the throwing knife she had pulled from its hiding place.

They went quiet everyone looking out the windows.

Creek turned to Manny. "Where is—" her whisper broke off into a gasp as the tiger growled and claw marks appeared in the roof of the RV.

"Any ideas, Grandma?" Manny asked looking toward the front seats.

Creek, who thought he was looking at and talking to her asked, "Grandma?"

"She's dead. I see her."

"Stop talking and run," Xylda answered from her place in the driver's seat where she was turned around watching them.

"Bad idea," Winnie protested, "I'm not running out there so I can get eaten."

That was when the gunshots started. They could hear the tiger growl and felt the rocking of the RV as it jumped off, and then a thud as it hit the ground.

When the shooting stopped they exited the RV to find Olivia and Lem standing in the street.

"You let him out didn't you?" Olivia accused Manny, jabbing in his direction with the barrel of one gun.

"No," he told her before nodding his head down the street, "she did."

Everyone made their way to the tree were the deputies body was.

"So, if it bites you—" the brunette man started to ask.

"You're born a were, dimwit." The blonde answered.

"Not exactly common knowledge," Lem admitted, "Weretigers are rare nowadays."

"So the Rev did that?" Creek asked.

"Such a waste," the vampire said in a slightly longing tone before taking a deeper breath and turning to the male psychic, "You're bleeding, aren't you?"

"A little."

"More than a little," another inhale, "Smells fresh."

"I got it Uncle Lem," Creek said with a wary glance at the bald man, "Here, have Madonna take a look at it for you."

Creek and Manny headed into the restaurant before Olivia turned to Lem, "I need ammo." Was the only thing she said before turning away and going back toward the pawn shop.

Winnie was left on the side walk. She glanced up at the tree one last time before letting out a sigh.

"And I need Strength(*)," said the gypsy girl walking away.

* * *

Her first stop was the RV once at the top of the stairs she looked for her grandmother, who appeared in one of the seats at the table.

"What's going on, now?" asked Xylda in concern.

"I need to hurry, but I have a question," Winnie stated.

"Well, what is it?"

"How _exactly_ do I invoke the power of my name?"

They stared at each other, Winnie will a steely determination in her eyes and Xylda with shocked surprise.

Finally the ghost answered, "Right. Well first…"

Two minutes later, the young psychic exited the RV and went to her trailer.

After unlocking the trailer, she went to a tall cabinet on the right and opened the doors to reveal a small wardrobe. Reaching in she quickly pulled a white dress from one of the hangers and threw it over a shoulder, then grabbed a cloth bag before slamming the doors closed.

Pulling open a draw next to the wardrobe revealed different pieces of cloth; long strips of cloth, handkerchiefs and scarfs. She dug deep and pulled out a white triangular shawl that was large enough to wrap around her body.

She moved to the other side of the trailer to open yet another drawer, inside were stones of various size and color. She removed eight of the largest white stones in her collection and placed them in the bag. Gently closing that drawer, she went to get the last things she needed.

In another cabinet full of bottles, she pulled out three different ones. Carefully wrapping the bottles in the shawl she left the trailer so fast she had almost forgotten to lock it behind her, but quickly turned around and secured the trailer.

It had been a few minutes since she last saw Olivia and Lem. Winnie ran to the pawn shop and through the side door leading to the apartment above.

Without knocking she rushed inside and found Olivia in a hidden room full of weapons with a rifle in her hands, Lem seemingly waiting for her.

"Good, you're still here," the girl said, slightly out of breath from her dash.

"Yeah, and you shouldn't be," the blonde protested with a hard glare.

"Sorry, but I need to borrow your bathtub."

Expression going form annoyed to confused, Olivia asked, "What?"

"My house is currently being exorcised so I can't really use the shower there, and if I'm going to perform the ritual I have in mind, I need to prepare. The first thing I need to do is 'cleanse my body and mind' so I need to borrow your bathtub," the psychic quickly explained and then finished with, "Please."

"What kind of ritual?" Lem asked.

"I'll explain after, right now all you need to know is that it will help the reverend." She turned to Olivia with a pleading look, "I know you don't want to shoot that tiger. If you give me a chance I think I can help, and I need to get started as soon as possible. But, while I'm getting ready, it will be up to you to find him and bring him back."

"Oh yeah, and how do you expect us to do that?" the blonde woman asked waspishly, "Bullets won't stop it and we can't cage it."

"I trust you to figure that out," Winnie let out a deep sigh but caught the other woman's gaze, "Listen, I know you don't trust me and I'm not your biggest fan either. You're mean to my brother, you kidnapped him and you threatened to kill him. Not cool. But, I get why you did it. You want to protect this town and the people in it. I can help you do that. It is _hours_ until sunrise. I don't have a cage, but if my idea works I can stop the tiger from killing without hurting it. Olivia, _please_."

"Alright," she agreed then gave the younger woman a hard look, "But it better work."

"It will," she replied, determination audible, "I'll wait for you at the church, it's familiar group for both the reverend and the tiger, so it should help."

The gypsy girl sat her things down on the bed and started stripping her clothes, she didn't have time to care about the other two still in the room.

Olivia looked over at Lemuel, who was trying not to smile, and rolled her eyes, "Let's go."

"After you," he offered.

* * *

When done bathing with the mixture in the bottles, Winnie put on the dress, draped the shawl across one arm, and grabbed the bag with the stones. She returned to the RV to grab two metal spikes, a cord of rope, a broom and a small cushion.

"Good luck," Xylda called as her granddaughter left, to herself she added, "here's hoping you don't need it."

Once at the church, Winnie swept a large patch of the ground to clear away the loose stones before drawing a big circle on the ground using the spikes and cord; then she set the tools aside and placed the white stones evenly around the circle.

A breeze blew against her back and she shivered, her wet curls had completely soaked the material of the dress, and she quietly hoped she didn't get sick.

"It would be just my luck," she murmured.

As much as she wanted to, Winnie knew she couldn't let herself worry, about herself or her brother who was chasing a tiger. She needed to focus. The redhead picked the shawl up from where she had left it and put it on. Then, taking the cushion she placed it on one side of the circle and sat down.

There was no chanting or waving her arms around. She just sat, closed her eyes, and dug deep inside herself; no calling on spirits or power from an outside source for this ritual; she would be invoking the power that had been given to her at birth, a power that she has carried with her all her life, and one she has never consciously called on before; the power of her name.

Time passed slowly as she gathered her will and strength. Drawing on her own energy and centering her thoughts, Winnie soon felt a wash of calm come over her, it made her feel like she was floating, but she was still aware of her surroundings.

Actually, she was more aware of her surroundings than she usually was; her hearing and smell seemed sharper; she could even sense someone watching her from across the street, and the energy that moved around her. Shuddering, Winnie was glad that she had chosen the church because it was keeping dark and malevolent energies at bay.

As she thought about it her power flowed out of her and into the stones surrounding her, each of them began to glow and the energies that had been circling suddenly retreated in pain and fear.

Everything was calm, peaceful. Then she caught the sound of tires screeching and her eyes opened to see Olivia's jeep come into view. The blonde backed the vehicle into the lot and Olivia, Fiji and Manny got out. The back end was opened to reveal Lem and the tiger.

"Oh, wow," Fiji whispered as she took in the sight of Winnie in the circle of glowing stones.

Manny glanced between his sister and the others for a minute before he seemed to realize something. He told Lem, "We need to get the tiger into the circle, but I'm pretty sure we can't enter it. You need to let it go."

"What?" Fiji breathed her voice quivering with fear.

Lem seemed just as socked as the brunette woman, "Are you sure about this?"

It was Winnie who replied, when she did her voice seemed to resonate and everything went silent again, "I am sure. Let him come to me."

Lemuel got out of the back of the jeep, and as soon as he let go the tiger stirred. A second later, the animal was rising, growling, hissing, eyes searching for food and escape. But as soon as it's golden orbs locked on the girl in white it seemed to be struck and went still.

"Come," the gypsy beckoned and the stones seemed to glow brighter.

The tiger jumped from the back of the vehicle, its powerful legs sending it through the air and its paws landing almost silently on the ground. It moved toward the circle hesitantly and growling low a few times, appearing to fight with itself, as if it was moving against its will.

Once it crossed the edge of the circle it stopped vocalizing. The second the animals hind legs crossed the boundary, it slowly collapsed, the tigers head falling into the gypsy's lap.

Removing the shawl from her shoulders, Winnie draped it over the muscled shoulders of the tiger before starting to run her hands along its head and face.

Winnie's voice was quiet when she spoke, the cadence was hypnotic, drawing in everyone that heard it, and there was power behind each word, "I am Blessed Peace, and peace is what I offer all creatures, great and small. Come to me and let peace wash over you. Let it banish your hunger so that you may be full, and calm your rage so that you may know peace."

The tigers eyes slowly closed and it let out a great sigh, but the animal wasn't the only one affected. The four outside the circle had all sat down on the ground and become lost in the feeling that had come over them. It wasn't a leeching of energy like Lem's ability, Olivia and Manny could attest to that, the calm seemed to fill them up like a glass that was slowly filling until it spilled over.

Before anyone knew it, the feeling was slowly fading leaving them refreshed, and it was only a little while before the sun come up. Blinking open eyes that none of them remembered closing; the four outside the circle stood and stretched.

"It's almost sunrise," Winnie said as she opened her eyes to look at the vampire, "Good night, Lem."

The vampire nodded and with a final glance at Olivia, he was gone.

The other three stood waiting for the sun to come up. As the sun crept over the horizon, the glow of the stones faded. They all watched as light hit the animal before the figure of the tiger seemed to shrink and stretch, bones shifting as it let out small grunts of discomfort, then a breeze picked-up and drifted over the form, blowing away the fur and leaving the man behind.

Manny removed his jacket and covered the lower half of the nude man while the reverend pulled Winnie's large shawl tighter around him. The girl's fingers were still running slowly through his hair. Olivia knelt beside the man, caring warmth in her eyes as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're back," she said quietly, "It's okay now."

The reply was equally quiet, "No, it's not. I know what I did."

"The tiger did, what animals do, you cannot blame a beast for its nature," Winnie stated. "None of this was your fault. The bull, the chains, you did what you could to prevent this. But if you can't accept that, then you will have to accept that what happened is just as much the deputies fault as it is yours. She came here looking for trouble. It was just her luck that she found it," her head drifted closer to him and she whispered her last words into his ear, "So don't you _dare_ blame yourself."

When she was done speaking, the female psychic slumped forward before falling to the side. The last thing she heard was her brother's voice shouting her name.

* * *

Winnie woke up in the bedroom of their new house. She let out a groan when she felt how much her body ached, she didn't have the energy to move, and there was a painful pounding in her temples. The bed shifted next to her, then there was a rattling sound and someone was pulling her up before propping her against their body.

"Ow," she whined as her muscles protested.

"Here, take these," Manny told her and she felt something pressed into her hand.

She couldn't open her eyes, but she knew they were two of her pills. Popping them into her mouth, she waited until a cool glass was shoved into her hand before swallowing them down, the refreshing feel of the liquid causing her to sigh.

"That's much better," she said as the glass was taken away.

"Good," was the irritated reply, before she was suddenly thumped on the forehead.

"Ah, what the hell, Manny?" she cried as she rubbed the spot where her brother had just flicked her. She glared threw squinted eyes.

" _That_ , was for not telling me your brilliant idea. You scared the crap out of me," he explained before moving her hand away and kissing the spot he had just injured. His annoyed tone turned impressed, " _That_ , was because you are the most amazing sister in the world. Seriously, Winnie, that was pretty impressive."

He hugged her close and she soaked up the comforting embrace.

It was another hour before she could get up and start moving around, by then it was _way_ past breakfast and her stomach was announcing its hunger, loudly.

She was searching through the closet for a shirt when she found one that made her giggle. She pulled the grey shirt off the hanger and showed it to her brother who was sitting on the bed, "I am so wearing this one."

He read the words and scoffed, in black letters it read 'I'm Like 104% Tired'.

"You've got to stop buying those shirts," he told her.

She looked at the shirt, then at him, and then back to the shirt before giving a confused shake of her head, "Why? My shirts are awesome."

"You have more than thirty shirts, all with different sayings, but only three pairs of pants."

"So, I have shorts too," she replied as if that made up for everything, "and two bikinis, everybody's happy." He started laughing at her smug look, which she rolled her eyes at and walked away, "Laugh it up. I'm taking a shower."

* * *

They went to the restaurant for lunch where Manny quietly filled her in on what happened in their house and then later when they caught the tiger.

"So it was a demon? Huh," Winnie said taking a sip of her water.

"Yeah. Good thing is it's gone."

"Right," she agreed with a smile, "You go, Demon-slayer."

"I had help."

"Whatever, you did good. That thing is out of our house and I, for one, am happy about it. Remind me to thank Fiji later."

Olivia and the reverend walked in a couple minutes later. The siblings gave twin looks of curiosity. Manny was the one to voice the question of their minds.

"I thought you usually eat alone."

"I do," the man agreed with a nod, "I just came to say thank you."

Winnie blinked in surprise, "Oh, uh, that's not necessary."

"Still, I meant what I said."

Everyone looked to Olivia, who hesitated before speaking, "Yeah, thanks."

"Anytime," Manny said honestly.

"So, what was that you did last night?" the blonde asked. The man beside her seemed just as curious.

"Oh—well, uh," Winnie started hesitantly as she glanced at her brother; he looked between the man and woman before looking back and giving his sister a nod. She tilted her head, one eyebrow rising as if to say 'here goes nothing', "There's this idea—belief—whatever you want to call it…anyway, it's the idea that words have power, even more so when it's a name.

"If you haven't guessed it, Manny and I are twins, so when we were born our names were chosen to reflect that bond, and they share a similar meaning. Translated, Manfred means 'Man of Peace' and Winifred means 'Blessed Peace'. So, I invoked the power of my name and used it to channel my energy to literally create feelings of peace. The circle concentrated that energy into one spot and was why the tiger conked out so fast, but it didn't hold the energy in and that's what you felt."

"And it was a stupid idea," Manny stated hotly.

"Why is that?" the reverend asked.

"Because…" Manny started.

"Shut up!" Winnie hissed but he didn't listen and continued talking.

"…there is a reason gypsy's don't draw on their own energy. It's limited, overtime it can be replenished but it takes a while, and if a person uses all of their energy in one go, it will kill them. This is why curses and hexes—stuff like that—always involves summoning spirits or gathering ambient energy. You use a little bit of power to summon the spirits, or get the energy flowing, but after that they do the work for you. We even use talismans because the really good ones can draw-in and store a lot of power to use later.

"When Winnie invoked the power of her name, it created a direct link to her and she couldn't use any power besides her own or it wouldn't work. On the flip side, because the energy came from her it was a hundred times more powerful but if she had used too much she could have died."

"Look," the female psychic suddenly said standing and squaring her shoulders, "I don't have a death wish. I knew what I was doing and it was my decision. You hear me? Was it dangerous? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. I was protecting my family, end of story." She paused and took a deep breath, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get a manicure. The last one didn't hold up in the bath last night."

* * *

"Did you do this on purpose?" Chuy asked as he looked at Winnie's nails.

The nails had been completely stripped by the mixtures she had used to wash with. The potions were designed to clean off anything that wasn't natural to the body and they certainly did their job.

"No, it was totally an accident," she intensely admitted.

"I guess you're lucky that whatever you did, didn't take your nail with it."

"It's specifically made not to do that," she informed him.

He raised his eyebrows as if saying, go on.

"Did you hear what happened last night?" she said then started chewing her lip.

Chuy's forehead creased a little but he neither nodded nor shook his head.

She sighed, "Long story short, a deputy came by, opened the church cellar and let out a tiger," noticing his look Winnie shook her head, "She didn't survive. Manny and I were outside the house when we heard her scream. He made sure that everyone stayed inside, went to find Creek, got scratched, then Olivia and Lem found out what was happening and the two of them plus Manny and Fiji went to find the tiger. I had an idea that I thought would help, so I stayed behind to prepare. Part of the preparation was to use a mixture to remove 'impurities'," she emphasized the last word while holding up her hands, "Luckily it worked and we waited for sunrise," the psychic finished with a shrug.

"Sounds like a long night," he replied. "So, what were you thinking about doing this time?"

She smiled and pointed at one of the polishes on the shelf, "I was thinking that color."

"No problem," he replied retrieving the metallic light-blue polish she had indicated and starting to work on her nails.

Winnie sat and let her mind wander from one thing to another, until she suddenly blurted out a random thought, "Even if he did try to eat us, that tiger was gorgeous, but now it feels weird having that orange and black stripped bikini. I mean, their horizontal strips so it's more like a bee. Still, you don't think the Rev will be offended do you?"

Chuy paused for a moment to chuckle, before shooting her a smile and continuing. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"Good," she nodded firmly, "There probably won't be a lot of opportunity for me to wear a swimsuit anyway but I was thinking about it. Manny and I were talking this morning about my choice in clothes, so it's been on my mind…Sorry if I'm bugging you with all the talking."

"It's fine," he smirked, "Talking with you is definitely entertaining."

She scoffed, "Crazy lives make for crazy stories. Remind me later, to tell you the one about the guy who thought he was being chased by fairies. Spoiler alert, he wasn't paranoid."

They shared a laugh and continued talking until it was time to leave. With ten dollars to the beautician and another hundred dollar bill in the tip jar, she walked out with a new manicure and whistling a jaunty tune.

* * *

Bobo saw Winnie coming out of Joe and Chuy's parlor when he left Fiji's and called out.

Winnie turned to see who said her name and spotted her landlord, "Hey! Good to see you. How are you doing?"

"I'm doin' fine," he said with a smile that turned into a curious expression, "Now, about what happened? How did you..."

She grinned sheepishly, "Gypsy secret. Let's just say, I made sure nobody could see you until I wanted them to."

"Well, it certainly worked. Now as a thank you, I have something for you and your brother. I think you'll like it," He said with childish glee, "Come on."

They went into the pawn shop and Winnie waited by the counter while Bobo went to get the gift.

He came back and held up an old sign that read "Palmistry: Psychic & Clairvoyant".

"Oh-ho, Manny is going to love that," Winnie commented with a smirk.

"Let's go take it over there," Bobo said.

Winnie opened the door to the house and called for her brother. Manny met them in the living room giving Bobo and the sign a curious look.

"What's that?"

Bobo walked to the fireplace as he explained, "My combo housewarming and 'thanks for saving my ass' gift."

Manny chuckled, "That's awesome, thanks."

"Oh, yeah," Bobo said as he sat the sign down and straightened it. "Fiji told me what you did." Bobo turned around and faced Manny with a look that said more than words.

"Um…" the male psychic began, "Aubrey, she—she wanted to tell you the truth. Her husband asked her to get to know you, but what she felt for you, that was…that was real."

"Thanks for that," Bobo said quietly, "But the woman I love, she didn't exist."

Winnie gripped his shoulder, "Word of advice, and it's going to sound ridiculous, but you need to find it in yourself to forgive her," she shook her head and continued with more conviction, "Not for her, but for you. People need both the strength to forgive and the humility to ask forgiveness."

"You're right," he agreed.

A knock came at the door and all three of them turned to see Creek poking her head around the corner.

"Bobo," the waitress said trying to hide obvious surprise with a smile, "glad to have you back."

She gave Bobo a hug as he responded, "Nice to be back." Afterwards he silently left.

Creek then looked at Winnie expectantly.

Winnie narrowed her eyes at the other girl before turning to her brother who also looked pleadingly at her. She pursed her lips together and felt her eyebrow twitch as she reigned in her frustration. It had been a long day, she just wanted to relax and spend time with her family, but instead she's getting kicked out of her own house!

The redhead's face went stony as she spoke, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, goodnight," her brother told her as he gave her a quick hug.

Winnie reached the door before turning around. "FYI, I live here too," she then flashed a smile, "So heads up, I _will_ be taking a shower in the morning, and I _will_ be walking into the bedroom naked to get dressed. Goodnight."

She left, and shut the door behind her. The RV was quiet before she got inside, "Jerks!"

"What happened?" Xylda questioned her irate granddaughter.

"Manny always kicked me out of the hotel room when he had a client, and I understood it was because of business. But now he's kicking me out of the house, I mean, come on! He likes her, big deal. I should make them sleep out here."

"That's a side of my grandson I never wanted to see while I was alive, and I don't want to now. But Manny is a grown man, Honey, he needs to have a little fun."

"He wants to have fun, they should do it at her place and see how her family likes being kicked out of the house, so they can screw around."

"And I think it's about time you had some fun too," Xylda added.

Winnie turned to look confusedly at her grandmother's ghost, "With who? I'd have to go to the next town to find someone attractive and single. You know what, never mind. I'm tired. Night Grandma."

The redhead flopped down on the bed with a groan.

Xylda looked slightly shell shocked as she called back, "Night."

* * *

Alternate Ending: Saving the Sheriff

Winnie was stomping her way toward the RV, after leaving her brother and Creek in the house, when she was hit by a vision, this one lasting for more than a second and causing her to pause in her stride. Her eyes grew wide and once the vision was over she sprinted to her trailer.

Minutes later she was on her motorcycle and speeding down the road in the direction of Davy. She didn't know how long it would take to get their or where exactly she was going, other than the Sheriff's office, but she prayed she made it in time.

It had just gotten dark by the time she arrived. Pulling into a parking space and yanking out the key before jumping off the bike, Winnie ran for the doors and right into the person that had just exited.

Winnie looked up into the face of the Sheriff and sighed, "Thank god."

Livingston recognized the woman from the other night, and became worried at her behavior, "Is something wrong, Miss?"

"Not anymore," she continued but then quickly amended, "or at least there won't be if you stay out of your car."

"Excuse me," he questioned.

She winced, "This will be hard to believe, Sheriff, but my name is Winifred Bernardo and I just had a psychic vision that someone planted a bomb in your car."

His skepticism was written on his face before he even started speaking, "Ma'am—"

"Please, listen to me. You listened to my brother," she pleaded.

That made him pause, he still seemed hesitant to believe her but he nodded, "Alright, Ms. Bernardo—"

"Winnie," she corrected with a smile.

"Winnie. You and I are going to go inside and I'll get this taken care of, but I should warn you if this turns out to be a joke or—"

She interrupted him again, "It's not a joke."

He grinned in slight irritation, "Would you stop doing that?"

She pursed her lips together and didn't speak.

"Thank you. Now," he said turning around to open the outer door, "after you, Winnie."

To say the Sheriff was surprised when they did find a bomb would be an understatement, he was downright shocked.

Winnie waited in the Sheriff's office until he returned. The man glanced at her as he rounded his desk and sat down heavily in his chair.

He took his hat off and rubbed his forehead before taking a deep breath and finally looking the young woman in the eyes. "I have a few questions," he began and waited for her nod to continue, "You said you received a psychic vision?"

Another nod, "Right, and in this vision did you see the person that placed the bomb in my car?"

A head shake this time, and he breathed a heavy sigh, "Right."

"But, I think I saw who had it put there and why?" She said, finally speaking since entering the building, "Usually, my visions only last for a split second and it's just an image, but sometimes they last longer. This time it was longer, I saw you walking to the car and getting in, and then it exploded. Then I saw a bald man in a biker jacket and what looked like a jawbone around his neck, he said, "Shouldn't have let Bobo Winthrop out," and that was all I saw."

There was a contemplative look that flashed across his eyes before he sat up and picked up a file off his desk. He drew a picture out of the file and showed it to the girl, "Is this the man you saw?"

Winnie looked at the picture and recognized the man from her vision, "Yeah, it was him."

"And have you ever seen this man before?"

She shook her head, "Not before I had the vision."

A muscle twitched in the man's jaw, "If you see this man again—"

"I'll call you immediately," Winnie stated but then flinched when he shot her a mildly annoyed look for interrupting him, again, "Sorry, I won't interrupt."

He huffed, "Just be on the lookout, he's a dangerous man. And Ms. Bernardo," she opened her mouth and he was quick to raise his hand to stop her, "Winnie," he quickly added and then with sincerity he finished, "Thank you. You saved my life."

"You're welcome, Sheriff, I'm happy I could help," she replied with a genuine smile.

"Let me walk you out," the lawman offered.

He walked her all the way to her bike. "Good night, Ms.-Winnie. Have a safe trip home."

"Good night, Sheriff."

 _End Note: I left this mark (*) in the chapter next to something Winnie says. Ten credits to your awesomeness for anyone who can tell me **what** Winnie was referring to when she spoke_ _._


	3. Lemuel, Unchained

_Author Note: Thank you for the reviews! I would love to hear what you guys think about this chapter._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Midnight, Texas series._

Chapter Three – Lemuel, Unchained

It was a half hour since her brother and his 'new friend' had sequestered themselves away in the bedroom of the house, and Winnie was currently on the couch with a soda and her tarot cards. It had been only a short time since the siblings had showed up in Midnight, and they were enjoying the quiet after the craziness of their first few days in town.

She shuffled her cards until she felt they were ready to show her the answer she was seeking. Choosing to use the most basic spread she knew, Winnie laid out the cards and slowly flipped them over, but when she got to the last card she frowned.

"Well hell," she muttered as she picked up the card, the future card. "Is it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet? Or, you could be a little clearer on things. That would be nice."

She would have sworn The Tower card almost seemed smug as she clutched it between her thumb and forefinger. Gathering up the cards, she placed them back in the case they had come from and dropped it back into her bag.

Now that she pretty much knew the shit was going to hit the fan, sooner or later, she pulled out her gloves she had been carrying around and put them on. It was better to be prepared then get caught with your pants down, too bad for her brother that the gloves didn't fit him.

The door to the bedroom finally opened, and Creek walked out into the living room, but then paused when she saw Winnie on the couch.

The gypsy girl just glanced at the waitress before picking up her drink and taking a swig.

The corners of Creek's lips twitched up into a smile, "Winnie, hey, I didn't know you were going to be here."

Winnie gave a scoff before replying. "Imagine that, me in my own house, how strange." She smirked up at the other woman. "Don't worry, I didn't hear anything scandalous," she watched as the waitress started to relax before finishing, "from outside."

"Okay. I'll see you around," Creek quickly said in farewell before resuming her walk to the door.

Winnie jumped up and grabbed her bag and hoody before following the other girl out the door, "Actually, I was planning to go for a walk. Clear my head. I'd feel better if I could walk with you, and then I can walk back on my own. If that's okay with you?"

Creek paused on the porch, and turned to Winnie. "Sure, but I hope this isn't so you can give me the whole 'stay away from my brother' talk."

The giggle that statement received from the female psychic was obviously a surprise to the brunette.

Winnie was smiling as she pushed her arms through the sleeves of her emerald-green, zippered hoody and pulled the strap of her bag over her head. "No, Manny and I are adults. Unless it's life threatening, we're allowed to make our own decisions. We'll always be there for each other, but it's 'live and learn' for the most part."

"Huh," Creek said as she started walking again, "I wish my family thought that way."

It was silent after that until they passed by the pawn shop and heard a whistle. Creek was undaunted by the noise and in a hurry, so she only glanced around. Then her phone chimed and she checked her new message.

Winnie was keeping her eyes on the path, so when there was suddenly someone in front of them, the gypsy grabbed the brunette's arm and pulled her to a stop on the sidewalk.

Creek looked up to see why they quit walking, as the stranger spoke.

"Hello to you, baby doll," a male voice said, and as he came closer the women could make out the features of a long haired Native American man. He almost seemed to skip as he asked, "What you doing all alone, sweetness?"

"Walking home," the waitress said and continued to step back, "and if I'm not there in three minutes people are gonna come looking for me."

"Ah, is that so?" he asked.

Winnie could see that the man was focused on Creek and let the other girl get behind her. Behind the stranger, a bus at the end of the street was letting off people dressed in dark clothes.

The man was so close now that he was almost pressed up against Winnie, and still staring at Creek.

"I'm not scared of you," said the brunette girl.

Glancing at Creek out of the corner of her eye, the redhead whispered, "Why'd you have to say that?"

"Oh, really?" The man challenged, "How about now?"

Four things happened at that time; first the man grabbed Creek by the neck and opened his mouth to reveal a set of fangs; which caused Creek to scream; and a second later Winnie punched him in the face with a right hook; then the man was suddenly flung away from them and Lemuel was standing in front of the two girls.

Lem went after the vampire, grabbing the other and baring his fangs, ready to kill the threat. But, the face of the new vampire made him hesitate and he asked, "Zachariah?"

"Lem," the tan man answered with a smile, "It's been a long time."

"What happened?" Manny asked as he came running up to his sister and Creek. Behind him more townspeople were coming to see what was happening.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Creek tried to reassure him.

Winnie rolled her eye, "Yeah, we almost got eaten by a vampire, but we're fine."

"You don't seem fine," the Rev said coming to a stop next to the female psychic.

Bobo spoke too as he came to stand next to them, "You look scared."

"Didn't mean to scare anyone," the stranger said, his lip busted and bleeding.

Winnie snorted.

Manny slide passed Creek, "What did you do to her?" he questioned the long haired vampire.

"Better question is," the vampire replied as he looked past the approaching brunette to the redhead woman, "What did she do to me?"

"I hit you in the fangs, Kitten," she stated sarcastically, "Hiss at me and I'll do it again."

Lem raised his hands placating, "Uh, everyone, calm down."

"Lem, you know these folks?" Fiji asked.

"Zach's an old friend," the bald vampire stated gesturing to the other.

Creek's voice was reproving, "Yeah, nice friends."

"My apologies," the now named Zach said, "We were just having a little fun." The vampire looked away and down for a second, "If I knew you were a friend of Lem's, I—"

"Everyone in Midnight is a friend," Lem stated firmly.

Zach nodded and pat Lem on the shoulder, "I'm not looking for trouble."

"Then why are you here?"

"Looking for you," was the reply, "We were passing through on the way to Mazatlan, thought we'd stop for the night. Place brings back memories…when we were all together."

"That was a long time ago," Lem drawled.

"Too long," Zach added.

"One night, but that's it."

"Of course, we'll be out of here before morning."

"The restaurant should be a nice place for your friends to spend their evening," Lem nodded to the pawn shop and Zach wordlessly followed. The other vampires walking away in the direction of said restaurant.

The group of Midnighters left in the street all looked at each other and the reverend nodded in the direction of the church, "I think we should talk."

Winnie was walking next to the Rev at the head of the group, and he spoke quietly to her, "I find it interesting that you were able to harm Zachariah, especially since I was under the impression that vampires were stronger than humans."

She grinned, "Was that a question?"

"Only if you're willing to answer," was the response.

She held up a hand, "It's all in the gloves. My punch is more mind-over-matter than physical. The runes and symbols are designed to channel energy into force, how much energy is used determines how hard I can hit."

"Your brother said that was dangerous."

"This is different," she stated shaking her head, "I'm drawing on the energy around us. My power might be a hundred times stronger but the ambient energy in Midnight is nothing to scoff at. If I had been using my power, I would have knocked his block off and we wouldn't be worrying right now."

Everyone was gathered in the church when Manny asked, "A nest of vampires dropping in. This an everyday thing?"

"Lem's the only vampire I've ever seen," Creek said from her spot on the pew beside him.

"Me too," Bobo seconded, "Things are getting real weird here, Aubrey and the Sheriff getting killed."

"And the Rev getting out," Fiji added and turned to the psychic siblings standing across from her, "Demons under your house."

"And, uh, vampires. Delightful," said the male psychic causing his sister to bump shoulders with him.

Now the Rev spoke, "Vampires avoid Midnight. Lemuel's an energy-leaching vampire."

Fiji laughed, eyes on the floor as she started to talk, "Olivia told me all about how she and Lem—" she paused after looking up and seeing everyone looking at her, "Never mind. Go—go on."

The Rev looked back at the twins before continuing, "Lemuel can kill vampires, which is why they stay away."

"And Lem and Zach," Fiji started, "they seem close."

"Come on," Manny said raising one arm from where it had been cross over his chest to gesture with an open palm as he spoke, "they're vampires. They kill and feed on people."

"He's right," Bobo agreed, "Even though Lem vouched for him, we can't let our guard down."

"They said they'd be gone by sunrise," Creek reminded everyone.

"If anything happens, we'll gather here. The church is sanctuary." The reverend informed them.

"FYI, garlic, holy water, them needing to be invited inside—all lies," Fiji informed them.

"So how _do_ you kill them?" Manny asked.

It was the Rev's turn to answer, "Silver's poison, debilitates them. But to end their lives, it's either sun or a wooden stake through the heart."

"Could be worse," Winnie told her brother, "At least we have plenty of wood."

Manny nodded a few times and finally said, "Awesome."

* * *

Everyone went back to their places after the meeting, except the two psychics. Manny told his sister that he had a plan and needed Olivia's help, so they stood across the street from restaurant and watched the blonde inside.

When Olivia left the twins approached her, Manny calling out her name.

The older woman sighed, "What?"

"Lem's friends," the brunette said, "You trust them?"

"I don't know them," she stated, "I don't know you either."

"I know a grift when I see it."

"Takes a con-man to know a con-man?" she remarked.

"Maybe, but either way those vampires are up to something."

"Yeah," Olivia sighed out the word before turning sharply to face the other two. "You have my attention," she stated, her expression telling them to 'move on already'.

"I can talk to dead people," he began before explaining, "Vampires make dead people. If there are ghosts in there," he nodded to the bus, "Maybe they can tell us what Zach and his friends are up to. I need a lookout…"

The blonde woman looked to the redhead silently asking why she wasn't the lookout, Winnie just shrugged, "He uses 'I' instead of 'we' a lot, since he's the advertised psychic, but he really meant to say, _we_ need a look out."

Manny finished speaking, "…unless you really think they're not dangerous."

The bus was unlocked when they got there and the three entered.

"No vamps," Olivia told them.

"Not sensing any spirits yet," Manny informed the non-psychic woman.

Manny reached the back of the bus and Winnie watched over the other woman's shoulder as her brother opened the door there.

"Oh, God," he exclaimed.

Olivia followed him into the backroom, "A ghost?"

"Worse."

They all took in the sight of a girl lying down with tubes leading from her body to blood bags hanging above her.

"They bled her to death."

Winnie gasped when the supposed dead girl moved, and her brother's voice sounded a little squeaky when he replied to Olivia's statement, "Not quite."

Manny knelt down to speak to the girl, who seemed barely able to move. "We need to get you out of here," he told her.

Her voice was hoarse and weak when she asked, "Why?"

Manny huffed in disbelief at the question. "Look at where you are."

"You lost a lot of blood," Olivia explained.

"I didn't lose it. I gave it. I hitched a ride back in Tulsa. I'm having a blast," the girl explained before she passed out again.

"So, she's either brainwashed or crazy," Winnie said pointing at the girl, "and on that note, I think it's time to tell Lem."

* * *

When the siblings and blonde entered the restaurant they saw Lemuel dancing with a female vampire.

"Olivia, Manfred, Winifred, what's up?" Lem questioned when he saw them and immediately stopped dancing.

"You should know, that blood bag Zach's carrying—" Olivia began.

Then Manny continued, "It's from a girl they're keeping in the back of their bus."

"They're draining her," Olivia accused.

Winnie had been watching as Zach circled them and glared when he smirked at her.

The female Lem had been dancing with spoke up, "You were snooping around our bus?"

Olivia squared her shoulders and stared down the vampire, "You are in my town."

"It's okay, Pia," Zach told the black haired female, "Can't blame them for being suspicious. We're used to it. Girl on the bus—her name's Tiffany. She's a groupie."

Lemuel nodded, "It's true. It's a thing."

"A thing?" Olivia probed with a headshake.

"Zach and Pia can't drain energy like I can. They need blood. Groupies are the most humane way—a willing food supply."

"Humane? She can barely move," Manny said reproachfully.

"A stop at the Waffle House and Tiffany will be as good as new," Zach dismissed.

Pia spoke up next, her words directed at Olivia, "It's a hard thing to understand since you're not one of us."

Lem looked uncomfortable and cleared his throat. He and Olivia looked at each other.

"All right then, enjoy your reunion," Manny said as he backed away.

Winnie shook her head as she did the same as her twin, "This is so weird."

The siblings were still in earshot when Lem announced, "I need a minute with Olivia."

A second later, Zachariah was standing in Winnie's path to the door. He smiled slickly at her and she wanted to stake him right there.

"You should stay," he told the redhead, "We could have some fun."

"Do you mean fun, as in, me kicking you into the street at sunrise?" she asked with a fake smile.

"Ooh, temper," he exaggerated a wince, "I like woman that are a little firey, and it matches your hair." He raised a hand to pluck up one of her curls and stepped closer.

"I'm warning you, you have three seconds to let me go," Winnie said and silently started counting.

His only reply was to smirk. When she got to three, Winnie grabbed his hand with one of hers and snapped two of his fingers. He grunted and let go, and the redhead stepped around the vampire to leave.

Outside Manny was waiting for her and asked, "What happened?"

"Apparently my looks are only good enough to attract supernatural predators," she replied but then added as a second thought, "Bestiality really isn't my thing, but I prefer the tiger."

* * *

Once they were in the RV, Xylda appeared and they spent the next couple of minutes filling her in on what had happened after the sun went down.

"All vampires are killers," Xylda insisted.

"Except for Lem?" her grandson questioned her.

"He's the exception. He always has been, but make no mistake—this nest is dangerous. You are food."

"Lem said they changed. People do change," he argued.

"Are you willing to bet your life on it?" Xylda countered, "You have to protect yourself."

"I'm with Grandma on this one," Winnie added.

There was a noise outside and they looked to see a vampire loitering around.

"Remind me again why you thought we'd be safe here?" Manny asked turning back to their grandmother.

"Midnight's safe," she defended, "You just might have to fight to keep it that way."

"Then we better get ready for a fight," Winnie acknowledged, "but right now I have to go check on Joe."

Her brother gave her a confused look, "Why?"

"Because I told Chuy I would keep an eye on Joe if something happened while he was gone," she explained with a shrug as she left.

* * *

Winnie checked Joe and Chuy's shop but no one was there. So she looked around the street trying to decide the most likely place for Joe to be, even though she didn't really know him that well. She spotted the reverend heading back toward the church and decided to ask him if he knew where the blonde man could be.

Deciding it would be better to talk inside, Winnie quietly followed him into the church. She soon realized that he hadn't noticed her when he continued past the fount and down the center aisle, but then she spotted Joe and was going to call out just as the Rev spoke.

"I don't think I've ever seen you in my church before."

"First time for everything," the blonde man replied with a shrug.

Even when he turned around the reverend's focus was on Joe who continued talking, both men unknowing of their audience.

'Aren't weres supposed to have heightened senses?' Winnie thought incredulously.

"Chuy's in El Paso. NailCon."

"No one comes here for company. Sanctuary, confession, yes." The Rev said, "I'm assuming it's the latter."

Joe sighed, "The reason you haven't seen me here before…" the reverend looked at him questioningly when he paused and it took a moment for Joe to continue, "I'm fallen. I once was an angel."

"And now?"

"Now I'm living a grounded life with someone I love. And it's a life I want to protect."

"And you think the nest threatens that," the reverend filled in the blanks.

"Vampires are just the beginning of the threat," Joe warned.

"I guess when an angel comes heralding a warning, I suppose I should listen."

"Fallen angel. I'm speaking to you as a neighbor and a friend."

"And a reverend…" the Rev said with vehemence and conviction, "who will hear your confession and keep your secret."

Joe hesitated for only a couple of seconds before speaking, "The veil that Midnight sits upon—it's fraying…and evil is being drawn here. You've felt it, haven't you?"

"Last time I turned, the hunger was insatiable." There was a silence for a moment, letting the truth sink in. "So what do we do about this?"

Joe shook his head. "There's no we. Chuy and I may not be here much longer. And after we're gone, someone needs to know the truth, 'cause there will come a time when Midnighters are gonna have to make a choice—to leave or to fight."

Winnie bit her lip to keep herself from saying something, and started to back away toward the door but as soon as she shifted her weight the boards under her feet seemed to squeak unnaturally loud.

'My luck is cursed,' she thought and felt like whimpering when the noise drew the attention of the other two in the room, their heads turning so fast _she_ almost got whiplash.

"Um, uh…" Winnie gulped down her ridiculous nerves, she know she had no reason to be afraid, heck Joe looked more frightened than she felt. She held up her hands in a placating gesture, "So, here's the thing, I _totally_ did not mean to eavesdrop," she stated passionately then began to wring her hands together restlessly, "I went looking for Joe and I couldn't find him, y-you, at the shop. Then I saw the Rev and was thinking 'maybe he knows were Joe is', so I followed you. Figured it would be better to talk inside, with all those vampires running around outside, plus they can't come into the church. But then you didn't notice me when I came in, and then I saw Joe, but you guys started talking before I could say anything and-and…I'm sorry."

Joe stood up and faced her fully but he wasn't able to do anything else before the girl suddenly started speaking again.

"I won't tell anyone," she said strongly, "Chuy said to look out for you and sometimes looking out for someone means keeping their secrets, right?" That was when she remembered why she had been looking for the blonde. "Speaking of looking out, Grandma says these vampires are bad news and my intuition is telling me she's right. I came to warn you. It looks like it's going to be darkest before dawn."

Her brother came running in after that looking scared and winded, "They killed the hardware store guy."

"His name was Henry. He was a good man." The Rev stated, "They lied. They killed him, and anyone in town could be next."

"Waiting for sunrise—not that great a plan anymore, huh?"

"We need to warn everyone," Joe said to the reverend.

The Rev agreed. "It's time for Mass."

* * *

The two psychics returned to their RV. Winnie made a quick stop at her trailer to pick up a polished wooden stake with a silver handle that had once belonged to an ancestor.

Now they sat in the RV, Manny was trying to call Creek and Winnie was stretching.

"You have to stay limber, right Grandma?" Winnie asked.

"Right, but don't overdo it," the ghost cautioned.

"Right," Winnie agreed and instead she sat down and tried not to fidget too much. Then a thought popped into her head, "What would happen if you cut off a vampires head? That would kill them right?"

"She's not answering," Manny said with a frustrated sigh, "Why would they lie to Lem?"

Xylda's reply was quick, "Can't help it. Vamps are bloodthirsty and cruel."

"Lem said they were friends," he tried to defend.

"Once." Xylda emphasized the word sharply, "A lot has happened since. There's something you need to know."

The ghost explained to them, how she had come to Midnight when she was young and met Lem the last time Zachariah was there. At that time, Lem had become tired of killing and was ready to end his life until Xylda offered him a way to change. It was their grandmother who had given Lemuel the power to feed by leaching energy instead of needing to drink blood. Lem had run off the vampire who had made him and the rest of the nest that had taken up residence in Midnight.

"Alright, so Lem is different," Manny seemed to concede, "I still need to warn Creek."

"You do that, while I check out the pawn shop, maybe I can find something to use as a weapon. I've got protection, so I'll see what I can find that's made out of silver, and then I'll meet you at the church." Winnie said leaving the RV, and then watching as her brother left.

Winnie scoffed making her way to Bobo's shop as she thought to herself, 'My brother just left me in a town crawling with vampires to go after a girl. I don't know what I'll do to her if she ever breaks his heart, but I promise it's not going to be nice.'

She was in the pawn shop when a loud bell started ringing, and she cursed. The swords weren't silver, and so far neither was anything else in the shop besides the jewelry.

Winnie started whispering to herself, "What happened to silver? Now everything is stainless steel, silver is literally a precious life-saving metal! Yeah, it dulls. So! It's not going to kill anyone to buy a little polish and clean it up once and a while. But I'll tell you what will kill you, not having any silver during a vampire invasion!" She hissed angrily.

There was a chuckle that came from behind the redhead, it was deep and masculine. Letting out a groan, she turned around to come face-to-face with two vampires. The tall blonde one in front suddenly bared his fangs at her and came closer.

"Wait!" she yelled and was surprised when the blonde and the oriental vampire stopped, so she continued with her hair-brained escape plan as she backed up toward Bobo's office, "Do you find me attractive? Because I've been having a little dry spell lately," she questioned with a seductive smirk.

Watching as the blond vampire looked her up and down before turning to his friend and they shared a look before looking back at her with hunger _and_ lust in their eyes.

"I'm not saying no to desert before the main course," the blonde said as he came closer.

Winnie smiled wider as she passed the doorway to the office, "Ah now that's just bad table manners," she said sliding off her jacket to hide the fact she had grabbed the stake that was tucked into her waistband, "and terrible last words," she added before staking the vampire.

The dust from the dead vampire was still in the air when the other vampire lunged at her. She reacted on instinct, and channeled energy into her right glove before shoving her palm against the vampire's torso sending him flying into the dark room.

Standing in the dark she heard the door quietly open, and hoped that it wasn't more vampires. A familiar blonde came into view and Winnie breathed a sigh of relief for a second, before warning the other, "Olivia, look out. There's a vampire in here."

Just as she said it the vampire jumped down from above and attacked the older woman. As Olivia fought with the vampire, Winnie's eyes grew. The woman seemed to be matching the creature blow for blow, until she was thrown against the metal mesh dividing the office from the shop.

The woman yelled out in pain, but as the vampire slowly came closer she dug through her bag and pulled out something. A beam of light hit the vampire and he burned to ash.

Winnie looked from the pile of soot to the woman and the…flashlight with a rock?

"What the hell is that?" the girl asked.

"Fiji made it," Olivia explained, "Looks like it works."

The blonde tried to get up but the let out a pained shout, before pulling out her cellphone and making a call. A second later she said into the speaker, "We have a problem…"

Winnie listened as Olivia explained that she was hurt and someone else was going to have to get the light. The gypsy pulled out her own phone and called her brother. When he picked-up she only said, "I'm safe and in the pawn shop with Olivia. She can't protect herself so we're stuck here. I know you'll think of something crazy, you're my brother, just don't get killed. Cause I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself, you know I can," she threatened.

On the other side of the line he let out a chuckle, " _Yeah, I know, and I'll deserve it…Love you._ "

She gave a weak smile, "Love you too."

After that Winnie got Olivia to explain the plan. It was pretty cool how shining a light through the stone could act like sunlight. When Joe showed up to retrieve the light Winnie frowned, she waited until the two blondes were done talking before following Joe to the exit and quietly asking, "Are you sure about this? Olivia said you have to get to the roof, and something tells me you won't be taking the stairs. You could stay with Olivia, and I can go."

Joe gently gripped her shoulder in reassurance, "Thank you, Winnie, but I agreed to this." He smiled, "When he comes back, I'll let Chuy know that he picked the right person. You're a good friend."

He left quickly and Winnie returned to Olivia. As soon as the psychic returned, the blonde announced, "We need to find Lem."

Winnie agreed with a nod, "So, where do we start looking?"

The two women quickly made their way to the hotel. As they crossed the street Winnie saw the group of vampires and heard her brother calling out Zachariah.

Supporting Olivia they made it quickly through the alley behind the buildings and into the old hotel turned restaurant and found Lem in one of the abandoned rooms.

Winnie watched from her place beside the door as Olivia went to the vampire chained in the room. She was almost choked with the blonde's desperation, which battled with Lem's hopelessness, making the air thick with tension.

Lem was gone before Manny showed up, "Did he make it?"

Olivia was so relieved she could only nod.

Manny saw his sister standing next to him and quickly pulled her into a hug. The embrace lasted for several minutes before leaned back to look down at her, not wanting to let go yet, "Crazy night, huh? But it looks like I'll have to get a rain check on that resurrection."

Winnie scoffed and nodded her head, "Sure."

"Come on," he said to the two women, "Let's get out of here."

This time Manny helped support Olivia as they left. The reverend opened the doors to the church at the same time the siblings and Olivia exited the restaurant. They found the Lovell family, Fiji and Bobo gathering in the street.

"Olivia got to him in time," Manny announced and the others all seemed relieved.

Joe came into sight and Manny turned to speak with him as the others walked away. Winnie followed him but stayed a step back to give them a little space.

"How'd you get the light up there?" the medium asked.

The angel shook his head trying to dismiss his role, "Snuck in. You really stepped up, risking your life like that." Joe lightly placed his hand on the brunettes arm, "Thank you. You saved everyone here."

The male psychic nodded while biting his lip before silently walking away. Winnie stepped up next to Joe and they both watched her brother leave.

"I've always known him to do the right thing when you need him to," she stated, "but Manny is used to running away from his problems. That's why I worry about him leaving."

She turned to the blonde, "If people leave, who will be left to fight?" There was no answer from the angel, so she shrugged and went to find her brother.

* * *

Manny sat quietly on the couch sipping a beer when Winnie walked in. She passed him on her way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before joining him, making sure to sit on his right. The brunette pulled her closer to his side and she nestled in laying her head on his shoulder.

"Another long night," she commented, "Maybe we should start sleeping during the day like Lem."

He chuckled, "Maybe."

It was quiet until Winnie decided she didn't want it to be, "So…I had to hit on a vampire before I staked him."

Manny sputtered trying not to choke on his beer and laugh at the same time, "What?"

"Yeah, in the pawn shop before Olivia showed up. And she fought the other one before blasting him with a smaller version of the Death Ray."

"That was not a Death Ray, it was a flashlight," he protested.

"Yes it was," she nodded furiously, "A long time ago, some old guy—I think he was Greek—invented this device. He tried to use a bunch of mirrors to reflect the light of the sun and burn a whole through enemy ships. It was the first Death Ray. So we used a flashlight instead of a bunch of mirrors, but it was still sunlight-esque. Death Ray," was her smug conclusion.

"Where do you learn this stuff?" Manny asked in amazement.

She shrugged, "TV."

He laughed loudly for a minute until he slowly let it die down. He squeezed her shoulders, "Come on, we should get some sleep."

"Can I, uh," she hesitantly glanced at the bedroom, "…those vampires scared the crap out of me."

He gave her a small smile, "I was about to say the same thing."

Light was seeping in through the bedroom windows, but the siblings didn't care they closed their eyes and fell asleep easily, knowing the other was close.


	4. Sexy Beast

_Author note: Hello everyone! Here is another chapter. It was a little hard to get this chapter flowing so let me know if there is something that you find "off"._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris._

Chapter 4 – Sexy Beast

Winnie groaned loudly as she walked through the door of Bobo's office. The owner of the shop looked up from his paperwork, to see the female psychic plop down in the chair beside him. He saw the bright yellow words written on the front of her shirt and chuckled; it read 'I'm a Friggin' Ray of Sunshine' which was ironic given her obviously sour mood.

"Good morning," Bobo greeted.

"Not even close," she said letting her head fall back against the back of the chair, "Wait, I take that back, I should say 'not any more'.

"Manny can be with whoever he wants, but I keep having to leave the house when she comes over because their time together is spent having sex. Then he tells me I'm only upset because I haven't gotten laid recently—and while that's true—I'm mostly upset that, not only is he in an unhealthy relationship, but it's making me uncomfortable in my own house.

"Maybe I should just find my own place," she muttered before turning her head and looking at him, "Or get a new brother?" Winnie laughed and turned back to the ceiling, "What do you say Bobo? How about having a little sister?"

When she didn't get a response, Winnie looked back at the man. He was sitting their staring at his desk but not really seeing anything, lost in his own thoughts.

"Bobo? You okay?"

He shook himself both physically and mentally, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just…never mind, it's nothing. But I wouldn't mind having another friend," he replied giving her a playful smile, "and right now I could use some help. How about you help me dust up the place and take your mind off this nonsense?"

She hopped up with a bounce and smiled down at him, "Yeah, but first…do you have any coffee?"

He laughed and shook his head before getting up and heading to the small kitchenette to refill and turn on the coffee pot.

* * *

Bobo was putting up the cleaning supplies while Winnie went to pick up the newspaper. She read the headline on the first page and grimaced.

When Bobo came back to the front, she silently handed him the paper before moving around to the other aisle to give him privacy while he read.

A few minutes later Fiji came into the store. "Hey, I brought you some—," she paused seeing the man's face and when he threw down the paper he had been reading she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Investigation my ass," he snarled, "They know who did it—Lowry, Aubrey's husband. Problem is they can't find him."

Fiji shook her head and tried for a reassuring tone but her voice wavered, "They will." She moved past him and further into the store.

"Well, I happen to know for a fact that Sons of Lucifer hangs out in the back room of the Cartoon Saloon."

Fiji stood there watching him with a look mixed between confusion and annoyance, "You're thinking about going there, aren't you?"

"I don't know," he replied quietly.

"Well you should know. Don't. Just let the cops do their job, and stay away from the Cartoon Saloon." She started to walk toward the back but stopped when Bobo spoke.

"He killed Aubrey…"

The dark-haired woman turned around tongue slowly licking her thinned lips, face clearly annoyed.

"…killed the Sheriff."

Fiji looked hurt as she spoke and her tone was reproachful, "And you just got out of jail, on suspicion of murder, and we risked our lives to get you out. And you going after Lowry's just gonna bring the cops right back to Midnight. That is not good for anybody. So you will stay out of it."

The man nodded and agreed, "You're totally right. Yep."

"You bet I am."

"I wasn't, um…thinking straight," he continued.

She was delighted that he was agreeing with her, "You certainly were not."

"I'll stay clear of this whole mess. I…" he held his hand over his heart, "Promise."

The Wiccan nodded with a pleased smile. "Good. Now, do you want to come over for dinner tonight? I am making shepherd's pie." She asked with a coquettish look on her face.

Bobo smiled back shyly, "I love your shepherd's pie."

"I know," Fiji said, smiling brightly.

"Hello?" a woman's voice called from the front of the store.

The voice drew the attention of Bobo, Fiji and their reluctant audience of Winnie, who had frozen not wanting to repeat what had happened at the church with Joe and the Rev.

Fiji decided to leave and headed for the exit, "I'll see you later."

"Okay," Bobo agreed while taking the basket the woman handed him.

"I need to speak to somebody who works her," a blonde woman announced as she came closer.

"That would be me," the brunette man answered.

"Did a guy come in here recently and pawn a Rolex?" the female asked as she stopped in front of Bobo. She was older, mid to late forties, and dressed in nice clothes.

"Did he drive a vintage red Caddy?"

The woman's face showed clear recognition of the description and Bobo nodded.

"Mm," he said with raised brows before moving to a display and clearing his throat. The woman followed. Bobo pulled a watch from a case and showed it to the woman.

The stranger breathed a sigh, "Ass head. It's my brother. He's missing, and our parents are worried about him," she explained. "He didn't happen to say where he was going?"

"He didn't say," Bobo began, "But I do think I know someone who can help you."

He quickly told the woman about 'the resident psychic' and told her were to find him. She left after getting directions.

Winnie walked up behind him, startling him a little when she spoke, "That is some serious UST between you and Fiji. You both have got it bad."

"What, no, Fiji's just a really good friend," Bobo denied.

Winnie gave him a 'seriously' face. "Yeah, well, I'm your friend too, and I can honestly tell you, she wants to jump your bones," the psychic stated bluntly, "And with all the tension I can sense between you two, the feeling is not only mutual but you've been pining over each other for some time."

He shook his head and Winnie could tell he was about to disagree again so she cut him off.

"Yeah, sure, deny it all you want," she rolled her eyes, "but when you two are ready. I'll be rooting for you." She smiled and left the store.

* * *

Winnie caught up with the blonde stranger as she was about to enter the RV and she came in behind the older woman. Her brother shot her a curious look that clearly asked 'what are you doing' and she gave him one that told him 'don't even try it, I'm not leaving'.

Winnie sat down on the long seat and the woman looked to her curiously so she said, "I'm a psychic too."

The woman scoffed and joked, "What, do psychics come in pairs now?"

The gypsy girl laughed. "From birth," she waved a finger between her brother and herself, "We're twins."

Manny went to pull candles from the cabinet and the woman started to speak, "The only time Ted visits our parents is to beg for money or steal something, but now that he's missing they're beside themselves. You ask me, he's probably holed up with some stripper again."

Putting the candles down, the male psychic began to say, "I need something of your brother's, something meaningful to him…to give me a psychic impression, a clue as to where he is."

The woman shook her head in disbelief but said, "Sure," handing over a ring from her finger she explained, "Ted's pinky ring. I took it as collateral last time I loaned him money. Will that do?"

Manny took it. "I think so."

Winnie helped close all of the curtains and then sat back down to quietly observe.

"Anything?" the woman asked.

Manny and Winnie both turned to the front of the RV as they heard a noise. Ted's ghost appeared in the passenger seat and the redhead winced when she got a good look. There were open wounds on Ted's jaw and neck. Manny's face went slack.

Their client turned to see what they were staring at but obviously didn't see anything as she asked, "What is it?"

"Getting images," Manny started saying as he watched Ted's ghost take in the surroundings and then looking at himself, "Does your brother work with heavy equipment?"

"Ted doesn't even have a job."

"You can see me," the man's ghost said pointing at Manny.

"Oh, yeah," the medium whispered.

"Pats," the ghost recognized his sister and moved closer to her, "Oh, Pats, you were right. I sucked as a brother, a son. It was all my fault. Should have never picked up that hot blonde," he scolded himself.

"What hot blonde?" Manny questioned leaning forward.

"See? I told you." The woman said turning her head in shame.

"Just at a rest stop," answered Ted, "One minute we're driving along. Next, something's eating me like a taco."

Winnie felt a little sick at that description as she looked at the ghost's disfigured face.

"And she stole my Caddy," the ghost finished.

When the woman and ghost were gone, Manny started looking up all the local bars and clubs in the area. As he finished up he spoke to his sister, "I'm going to go look around. You should stay here in case that blonde shows up in town."

"You can't go alone!" she protested. "She's eating people, Manny. What if you find her and she attacks you?"

"It'll be fine. I'm just going to see if I can find Ted's car, as soon as I do I'll come back and point the cops and his sister in the right direction."

Winnie narrowed her eyes. "The first sign of trouble and you'll come back?"

"I promise."

She reluctantly nodded before agreeing, "Alright. I'll stay here."

* * *

Watching the RV drive off, Winnie started thinking about what she would do while she waited for her brother to return. Ghosts still popped up around the house so she chose to go out. The first thought was going to the restaurant to grab an early lunch but that thought was quickly dismissed, since she still felt a little queasy after seeing Ted's ghost. She went through all her options until she settled on going to Fiji's to see if the woman had any ginger, maybe she could calm her stomach and have lunch afterward.

Fiji wasn't at her place so Winnie decided to go back to her house, but she stopped when she saw the reverend tending the pet cemetery. She walked over and he must have heard her coming because he stood and turned to look at her.

The weretiger didn't exactly smile but his eyes brightened when he saw her. "Hello, Winifred, can I help you?"

"I doubt it," she answered with a shrug, "I was looking for Fiji but she's not home. When I saw you, I came over to see how you were doing?"

"Most days I'm good," he said with a small half-smile, "Thankfully, today is one of those days. And you?"

"My stomach is a little upset actually. I was going to ask Fiji for some ginger and see if it helped," she replied, "There was a woman that came by looking for her missing brother. Manny agreed to help. When the brother's ghost showed up he wasn't in good shape. He'd been…eaten."

"Eaten?" the Rev asked slightly alarmed.

With a nod she explained, "Yeah, apparently the brother, Ted, picked up a 'hot blonde' at a rest stop and then she attacked him. There were bite marks on his face and neck, but it was weird. The marks looked like the ones you'd find after an animal attack, they were jagged like whatever took a bite out of him had really sharp teeth. I'm pretty sure she wasn't human."

"Do you know where he was attacked?"

She shook her head, "No, but it was after he came here. Ted pawned a Rolex at Bobo's and drove off with an envelope full of cash. His sister came to the pawn shop looking for him. Now Manny is out there. He said he was looking for the brother's car, but I know he's really trying to find the woman and-or Ted's body."

"Perhaps it is not just your stomach that is bothering you," the reverend told her.

"You're probably right," she acknowledged, "But this is Manny's choice. He agreed to help and he'll do what he can. Worrying about it won't help anyone and all it is doing now is throwing off my appetite."

He smiled kindly, "I'm sure you can find a way to distract yourself."

She really couldn't stop the giggles that burst out of her, once she had them contained she cleared her throat, "Excuse me, I just remembered something my brother said this morning about me needing to get…distracted. But you're right. I'm going to go find something to do. See you later, Rev."

* * *

The RV drove up outside the house and Winnie glanced up. She had been busy drawing all afternoon and was on the couch, pencil in one hand and a spoon of peanut butter in the other. Her stomach had settled after she started drawing but by then she decided to stay home instead of going to the restaurant. So she was currently in a pair of plaid lounge pants and a white tank top with the words 'I'm Not Weird. I'm Limited Edition.'

Manny came charging into the door only to stop short at finding his sister in the living room, "Come on," he said breathlessly, "We need to talk to the others."

"What's going on?" she asked dropping her book and pencil on the table, at the same time she licked the spoon clean, and put it down beside them.

"I found the car, and the woman. Turns out she's definitely not human."

"Well, duh?" she said before going into the bedroom. She called out form the other room, "Hold on, I need to change into a pair of jeans…and shoes...and a jacket!"

"Just hurry up!" He called back in exasperation.

"Geez, I'm ready," she exclaimed coming out of the bedroom fully dressed with shoes and her riding jacket on. She walked passed him and opened the door before looking at him expectantly, "Come on. What's taking you so long?"

He shook his head and playfully asked, "Why do I put up with you?"

"One, I put up with you. Two, I'm your sister. And three, I'm awesome," She said as they left, "The benefits of keeping me around, far outweigh the cost."

He nodded while she spoke and then replied with a smirk, "All valid points."

* * *

The two psychics had decided to use the Midnighters Room in the restaurant for the impromptu meeting.

Manny asked Joe for help and Chuy had also come, both men were seated at the table across from each other. Lemuel joined them and was leaning on the table beside Joe. Fiji, who was sitting on a small end table beside the door, seemed to be dressed up but a little sad. Creek was currently working but was staying in the room for the meeting, and she was standing beside Manny. Winnie stood on the waitress's other side. Manny was watching over Joe's shoulder as the artist sketched out the creature the medium was describing.

As Manny described the monster that had eaten his client's brother, Winnie was actually able to get a brief vision of the woman and it made her shiver. When she caught a glimpse of Joe's drawing she thought it was almost a perfect match, except for the mouth.

Joe looked at Manny when he was done.

"More teeth," he told the artist.

Joe made the addition but Manny still seemed unsatisfied. He gestured with his hand as he spoke, fingers curled like claws, "Yeah, but more—rows of teeth, and mouth open like this gaping hellhole."

Fiji moved to stand with the other women in the room and looked at the sketch.

"Like a shark, but with fangs instead of triangular teeth," Winnie elaborated using her thumbs and pointer fingers to make a triangle. Her brother looked at her and she shrugged before explaining, "I suddenly got a vision when you were describing her. She's one bad fiend."

Joe sighed but Manny continued, "And a-a spider web tattoo on the shoulder."

"And she was…" the artist drew out.

"Eating…" the brunette replied and turned to look at the three women, "people, yeah."

"Sounds like a succubus, which is odd," Lem told them. "I haven't seen one around here in over a century."

"A succubus?" Manny questioned.

"Ancient supernaturals—hunters, rare," he stood and started to pace as he continued with his explanation, "They usually lie low and they have a perpetual glamour that lets them appear beautiful so they can seduce their prey."

"Prey? As in…men."

"Mm-hmm," Lem said as he passed by Winnie and took the seat at the head of the table beside where the gypsy girl stood, "But they only feed on men who've caused pain."

"Wonder why she came after you?" said the beautician as he looked at Manny.

Winnie frowned at the accusing tone in Chuy's voice but she turned to glare at the waitress when Creek spoke.

"Yeah, why?"

Manny let out a nervous chuckle and glanced away before his eyes fell on the floor. His brow knit as he countered, "So no—no one here has ever caused anyone pain?"

"Fair enough," Joe said nodding to the male psychic.

"The real question is, why now?" Lem asked, "Why would a succubus show up here acting so rechlessly?"

Winnie was the only one who noticed the significant glance that passed between Chuy and his husband, before Joe's face tensed and he gave a minute shake of his head.

'Right, the Veil,' Winnie remembered. She glanced at her brother worried about what he would do if, no when, he found out.

"Hey, Manny," Winnie said quietly as Creek left the room, "Maybe you should sit down? You seem a little jumpy."

"Yeah, alright," he sighed as he sat down on the tabletop beside Joe.

Winnie moved over to his right and started rubbing his back. "You've been running around since this morning and you did great work," she complemented, "You found a succubus in a Texas sized haystack." She smiled at him and pat his shoulder, "Take a break."

"This succubus is leaving a trail of bodies," Joe spoke up as he looked at the twins.

"And bodies will bring the law back to Midnight, we can't have that," the vampire elaborated.

Chuy voiced the next statement, "We need to stop her before she causes more damage."

Manny nodded, "So how do we do that?"

"Dragon's breath…"Joe informed, Manny gave him a curious look that he waved away as he continued, "according to medieval folklore."

"And Wikipedia," Chuy added, trying to cover.

"Okay," Manny acknowledged, "Short of finding a dragon, how do you stop a succubus?"

"Maybe you could just set her on fire?" Winnie asked quietly so only her brother could hear.

Fiji came closer with a look of 'eureka' on her face, "I think I know," she stated softly.

* * *

Everyone except Lem, who left to get Olivia, headed over to Fiji's to see what her idea was.

Winnie was walking next to Chuy and lowered her voice so no one else heard as she asked, "I know I'm going to sound like a kid when I say this, but here goes—Can we get ice cream after we kill the succubus? I've been craving it lately."

He laughed silently and pursed his lip trying not to smile. "Sure."

"Yay," she chirped quietly and flashed him a grin before wrapping both her arms around his in a quick hug.

The group made it into Fiji's house and into her herb garden, where she started collecting herbs and began to explain, "I'm making a tincture. It's really just a fancy word for potion. This will remove the succubus's glamour." She tasted one of the herbs she clipped and chuckled, "Yeah. Without her looks, she will not be seducing anyone."

Creek walked closer to the Wiccan woman trying to get a better look.

"See," Fiji said giving her mixture a shake, "it's really just basic chemistry."

"So we can slow her down, but how do we find her?" Manny asked.

"She'll be looking for men," Joe warned.

Creek shared her thought, "If a woman's trolling for guys around here, there's only one place to go on a Thursday night."

"Not me," Winnie said aloud while checking out the fresh rosemary, "I like that whole 'getting to know you' stage. I've got to understand a guy before we can start humping like bunnies, which is really hard to do when you're a gypsy, but I manage." She scoffed, "Besides I enjoy marathon sex and it's easier when you have things to talk about during intermissions."

Manny cleared his throat before speaking, "Winnie?"

She turned around with raised brows and a curious hum.

"We, uh, can hear you," he explained.

"I know," she acknowledged, "I also know that we're all adults and most of us have healthy sex lives." Winnie glanced at the others who appeared a little shocked. Joe wouldn't meet her eyes, and Chuy had a small smile playing on his lips. "Shouldn't we get going?"

* * *

Outside of the Cartoon Saloon almost everyone grabbed a bottle with the potion. Winnie was the odd duck but she wasn't worried as they entered the bar. The succubus only seemed to be targeting men.

Fiji turned around to address the group, "We just need to get a drop of tincture in the succubus's mouth."

"Then we have to get her away from people, somewhere private before anyone notices what's happening," Lem suggested.

"We should split up. Blend in," Manny told them.

"Sure," the vampire said voice full of sarcasm as he took Olivia's jacket, "Blend in."

Winnie watched everyone move away and was trying to decide where she would start looking when she heard Fiji.

"Really?" the black-haired woman asked disbelievingly.

Winnie glanced in the direction the other woman was looking and spotted who she thought was Bobo. Remembering the conversation between him and Fiji that morning Winnie winced and followed the woman who was following the pawn shop owner.

A flash of an image appeared in her mind's eye and when she had processed the vision, Winnie moved faster even passing Fiji as she tried to catch up to Bobo.

She was in time to watch her landlord enter the room.

"I want to talk to Peter Lowry," he announced.

"I don't think I know the man," the biker closest to Bobo said. "You enjoy the remodel?"

Bobo didn't reply, instead he head-butted the man in the mouth causing the biker to fall against the pool table.

"I know Lowry killed his wife and the sheriff. But he's the police's problem now. All I want is to be left alone," Bobo stated.

The man bared his bloody teeth as he spoke, "You make me sick, Winthrop. You're a traitor to your family, your race. You got so little pride you'd rather pollute yourself by living with those—"

Bobo punched him this time and the man went flying onto the same pool table he had landed on earlier. The shop owner then grabbed a pool cue, broke it in half, and moved over the downed biker ready to stab him.

This is the moment Winnie had seen and she was ready to move but then the cue went flying out of Bobo's hand and she had to jump out of the way. The peace of wood flew right past the psychic and into Fiji's hand. Everything around them seemed to stop as the whole room took in what was happening.

Bobo looked ashamed as he saw the two women standing at the door.

Fiji dropped the cue and her visage was hard when she spoke, "Bobo, we should go."

"Any of you set foot in Midnight again, I'll kill you," Bobo warned as he moved to the door. He said something to Fiji when he was close.

All three left quietly and without interruption.

When Fiji and Bobo stopped in the hall to talk Winnie kept walking. The gypsy could see Olivia, Lem, Manny and Creek all in the main room but she spotted Joe and Chuy going into another hallway leading to another set of back rooms. It was easy to pick her way through the crowd and she soon caught up to them. They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice her.

Around the next corner all three saw what appeared to be a slender curly-haired blonde, but when the person turned around they had a beard.

Winnie giggled which startled Joe who she was standing behind, "I wonder if he plays as a Bearded-Lady?" She saw them both looking at her strangely, "What? Some Bearded-Ladies were just men dressed in women's clothes. Long time ago, the women is Shakespeare's plays had facial hair."

Chuy laughed, "True."

"Didn't I see you with Fiji a while ago?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, but we ran into Bobo and their talking now. I'm the only one that doesn't have a bottle of the potion, so I thought it would be better to stay close to someone who did. Olivia and Lem are out, Manny and Creek are together, so that leaves me asking you guys if I can tag along. Personally, I think we should blow this place and find a Popsicle stand."

"Still craving ice-cream, huh?" Chuy teased.

"Oh, I've got it bad," she replied absently rubbing her stomach.

Chuy slung his arms around both Winnie and Joe's shoulders and turned them in the direction of the bar, "Come on, maybe we can get you a margarita."

They had entered the room when Manny found them, "The succubus is outside."

Their group came running out of the bar to find Lem and Creek in the lot with the succubus who appeared to be choking and her fangs were showing.

"We need to get her out of site," Joe told Lem, who nodded.

"Got it," the vampire replied before throwing the succubus over his shoulder and speeding away in a flash.

"Let's go," Olivia said thrusting her chin toward the RV and everyone piled in before Manny took off.

* * *

They found Lem with the succubus, who was still gasping and then fell to the ground.

They surrounded and watched as the female creature started jerking around and letting out pained cries.

"Is this normal?" Manny wondered aloud.

"Transformations are always painful," Fiji informed him.

A green mist seemed to finish stripping away the glamour to leave behind the form of a wrinkled hag in a tattered dress made from roots and moss.

"Good job on the tincture," Chuy complemented.

The succubus got to her feet and in a raspy voice she questioned, "What have you done to me?"

"I took away your glamour, so you couldn't kill any more men," Fiji admitted.

"We had no choice," Lem told the angry paranormal. "Supernaturals lay low in these parts. Indiscriminate hunting of humans will not be tolerated."

She moved to lung at the vampire who retaliated by throwing her into a tree. The succubus fell limply to the ground and rolled.

The male psychic stepped forward, "She dead?"

The creature suddenly opened her eyes and snarled causing most of the group to jump back. She flopped around and they could hear the crunching of bones as the succubus seemed to move in unnatural ways.

Manny winced, "Oh, God."

Winnie, Manny and Creek shared the same disgusted grimace. A second later, the succubus crawled off on all fours into the surrounding trees and they lost sight of her.

"You all expected that?" Manny asked the others.

Fiji shook her head from her place beside Bobo. "No."

"That's a surprise," Lem confirmed.

"What do we do now?" Bobo questioned as his eyes scanned the trees.

"Creek!" a voice suddenly called out, "Help!"

"That's Connor," the waitress said in recognition.

"Let's go," Bobo ordered.

Then Manny suggested, "Everybody split up."

Winnie sprinted forward and let her psychic sense guide her. She found the succubus before the others, but the creature had already found Creek's brother.

"Over here!" Winnie shouted and she heard the others coming their way.

"Wait!" Creek cried as the others arrived, "I'm begging you. Don't hurt him."

The succubus turned to look at Creek before proclaiming, "He deserves it. They all do," then she turning back to snarl at the young man and readied to bite him.

"Let him go," commanded Olivia as she pointed her weapon at the hag.

"We know what you're going through," Lem tried to placate, "I struggle with appetites that I need to keep in check. Maybe I can help."

"Hey," Manny yelled as he came into view on the other side of the succubus. Then he told the others "Grab him. Stay back."

Lem used his speed to get Connor away and Manny used the propane tank he was carrying as a flamethrower to set the succubus on fire. She screeched as the flames consumed her and seemed to melt.

The others came closer as the flames died and Manny sat the tank down saying, "Closest thing to dragon's breath I could find."

Winnie came up to hug her brother as Joe told him, "Uh, quick thinking."

"Literally a hot mess," Olivia commented before she and Lemuel left.

Winnie's visage took on a contemplative look and she hummed as she gazed at the molten fiend. The others noticed this and became curious about what she was thinking. Two seconds later, she seemed to snap out of it and turned to Chuy.

"Okay, time for ice-cream," she said cheerily.

Manny guffawed.

His sister turned to the laughing man, "What?"

"You really talked them into buying you ice-cream?" Manny said in amusement.

"No," Winnie defended with a hurt look but added in a matter-of-fact tone, "They haven't offered yet."

He just shook his head and draped an arm around his sister's shoulders to pull her closer before telling Chuy, "Watch out, she's even better at conning people than I am."

"I don't _con_ my friends, Manny," she told her brother as they walked away. As they passed she snaked an arm into Chuy's and grinned at him before continuing, "I con _vince_ them." Both men at her sides laughed and she smiled happily. "You can do that with best friends and brothers."

They all got back into the RV and went back to the bar to get their individual vehicles.

When they reached town everyone went their separate ways. Manny left Creek, Connor and his sister at Home Cookin' before heading back to their place to park the RV.

Winnie ordered ice-cream at the bar and stood waiting. Creek passed by and the gypsy gypsy gave her a nod. Her eyes drifted over to the booth that Joe and Chuy were sitting in and she saw Joe move into the booth next to Chuy and wrap an arm around his husband.

"Here you go," Madonna said setting the bowl of mint chocolate chip on the counter.

"Thanks," Winnie said as she picked up the bowl and went to sit next to her friends.

They watched her as she took Joe's previous seat and the angel moved his plate of food out of the way so she could set the bowl down.

"You know," she started to say, her eyes on her dessert, but stopped to swallow down the emotions that suddenly choked her, "I'm going to miss you guys. I've never really had friends before. There are a couple of contacts here and there but…no friends. Since I was a kid, Grandma and Manny were all I had. Now, it's just Manny."

"And us," Joe added and he gave her a small smile when she looked at them.

She suddenly beamed at them, "Yeah."

* * *

The next morning Winnie left the house and ran into Bobo on the sidewalk. She matched his steps and started walking next to him.

"Morning," he said with a bright smile.

"Good morning," she replied looking at him suspiciously, "You're looking happy this morning and you're obviously heading toward Fiji's. Finally decided to ask her out, I see."

They paused outside the gate to the Wiccan's shop.

"Yeah," he admitted with a boyish grin.

She returned it with a happy smile, "Well, like I said before, I'm rooting for you."

"Thanks," he replied and they both turned in different directions. He went toward Fiji's and Winnie crossed the street to the church.

Entering the church, Winnie didn't see the reverend so she moved further inside.

"Hello, Winifred," a quiet voice spoke from behind the gypsy.

She gasped and turned around to find the man she had been looking for. Her heart pounded in her chest and she was surprised at how close he was standing.

Laughing away her nervousness, she spoke, "You scared me, Rev. Manny's always telling me I should get a bell. Maybe I should buy us both one," she teased and he laughed.

"My apologies," he offered and then teasing lightly said, "We do seem to share a knack for sneaking up on people."

"Yeah, sorry about that," she apologized, remembering what happened last time she was at the church. "I just got used to everyone around me wanting to stay away from 'the crazy gypsy girl', so I learned to be quiet and people would ignore me."

Her face twisted into a pained smile, "There was actually a group of kids that tried to stone Manny and I once. I mean, everywhere we went people talked behind our backs but as we got older, people got crueler. There are reasons why I don't like crowds, or being alone, and why I can't stand bullies."

"People can be cruel," he acknowledged in a tone full of understanding, "but you shouldn't allow their cruel actions to rule your life. Do not allow them to have that kind of power over you."

She shook her head and looked him in the eyes. "I don't. I've just learned to be cautious," as she spoke, Winnie held up her hands, gloves on display.

"That's good to hear," he told her and then his expression became curious, "Was there something you needed?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know that we found the succubus last night. She won't be causing problems anymore." She bit her lip and finished saying, "If you've got the time, maybe I can run a few thoughts by you."

"Always. Would you like to take a seat?" he offered.

She nodded and took a seat on the closest bench. "Things have been crazy since Manny and I got to Midnight. Our grandma taught us to leave when the going gets tough. I'm afraid that one day Manny will decide it's too much and leave. As much as I've come to care about this town and the people in it, I will never abandon my brother."

"Life is full of hard decisions, but the choice is always yours to make. It's the blessing and curse of having free will."

"Mm," her brows rose in a facial shrug. A moment later, she smiled impishly, "You're absolutely right!" She got up from the bench and stretched out her hand to him causing him to give her a curious look, "I choose to invite you to eat breakfast will me this morning. I also choose waffles, which means going to the restaurant. _You_ can choose to refuse, in which case I will have to choose to decline any refusal you can come up with. So," she smiled shyly, "Will you have breakfast with me?"

A smile slowly came to his face and he almost seemed to surprise himself as he said, "I would be delighted." When he rose he took her hand and gently placed it in the crook of his elbow, and they left together.


	5. Unearthed

_Author note: Yay! Another chapter, I'm on a role! I know I totally just pat myself on the back there, but I hope everyone enjoys this chapter._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris._

Chapter 5 – Unearthed

It was 5:32 am when Winnie left the house, dressed and with her travel mug full of coffee in her hand. Normally she would wake up around seven, but an unsettling feeling had left her tossing and turning most of the night until she eventually gave up on sleep. When she had finally decided to go for a walk; she put on her light-blue t-shirt that said 'Life Update: Still a Mess', a pair of jeans, her green hoodie and her all-black slip-on Vans.

Two laps around town and an empty mug later, Winnie stopped at the restaurant for a refill and a breakfast roll. She was sipping her coffee as she leaned against the railing and waited for the sun to rise.

The sky had just started to turn orange when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning to see what had distracted her; Winnie saw the reverend outside the church.

She found herself moving without conscious decision in the direction of the black and white clad man. He was tending to the pet cemetery and she stopped at the fence.

"Good morning," the gypsy girl said "Looks like we'll get to see the sunrise together, again."

"Yes," he said as he looked at her, "And I'm sure you are finding this one more enjoyable than the last time, given the circumstances."

She shrugged as her lips curved into a smile, "I'm here with you, circumstances or not, it's all the same to me. Last time there was this gorgeous creature asleep in my lap, and this time I'm having a conversation with him," the smile changed to a playful smirk as she finished, "with clothes on."

There was a hint of shyness as he looked down and away before his eyes came back to hers. "It's kind of you to think that way," he told her, "and awfully naive. The tiger is a dangerous creature. I count myself lucky that only one person died that night."

"Stop," the psychic demanded with a firm tone as she pinned him with her gaze, "I already told you, what happened wasn't your fault. It was a tragic accident, wrong place at the wrong time, nothing more. Manny was the only other person who got hurt that night, and all that tiger did was scratch my brother when it could have gone for his throat—like any other tiger would have—so I refuse to believe that it's just a killing machine," her next words were softer, "We sat in that circle 'til sunrise and you never once hurt me."

Winnie turned her head away to look at the sun starting to peek over the horizon. The reverend didn't speak letting the girl collect her thoughts.

When she looked back a moment later, she licked her lips and took a deep breath before speaking, "Now, I was _finally_ starting to have a good morning but my mood seems to have changed. Which is fine, not every day is a good day, right? I'll see you later, Rev."

"Winifred…" the weretiger started to say as she turned to walk away, but was stopped when she held up a hand.

"Not—not right now," she said without ever looking at him.

* * *

The female psychic came back to their house to see her brother crouched on the porch next to the steps, with a Jack-in-the-box in his hands and a worried look on his face.

"What is it?" she asked concerned.

"Not here," he told her and nodded to their RV, "inside."

They entered the RV and sat down at the booth, which was when Xylda appeared, her feet propped on the edge of Winnie's seat. Manny sat the toy down on the table letting his sister take a good look at it before she froze. It was a defaced doll that looked like the male psychic.

"Hightower," Winnie stated more than asked.

He nodded in confirmation, "He knows where I live. Would've been easy enough to shoot me when I opened the door, but he didn't."

"He wants to make you suffer first," Xylda told him.

"Yeah, he's doing a pretty good job," he acknowledged with a sigh.

"Hon, I wish I never got you into this mess."

"Didn't even have the decency to stay alive to help me out of it," he teased.

Xylda chuckled lightly but there was still regret in her eyes.

"Truth is, I wanted that money as much as you," he stated, looking at the slip of paper that had come with the Jack-in-the-box, "Do I meet him?"

"No." Xylda and Winnie said at the same time.

"You ask for help," Xylda went on to say.

"Besides, money's not what he's after," Winnie told her brother, her eyebrows were knit in distress, "All this time, tormenting you like he has been—he's in pain and looking for someone to take it out on before it can consume him. Hightower's not going to forgive what happened. The deal was for so much more than money and it cost him more too."

"Which is why we need to leave…" he said.

"Manny!" she said annoyed, "What good would that do?"

He was stopped from replying when the sound of motorcycle engines started to get louder outside and then there was an explosion from the building beside them.

The twins left the RV to see people running down the street and smoke billowing from the pawn shop. They ran up to Bobo as flames came out of the store front.

"Lem and Olivia are still in there," the owner told them before nudging Manny on the shoulder and taking off to the other side of the street, "Come on!"

Bobo went to the emergency box mounted on the build next to the fire hydrant and took the wrench to open the hydrant while Manny grabbed the hose. A few minutes later and they we're working to extinguish the fire. Bobo made sure to spray everything that had burned and the whole store front was soaked by the time the flames went out.

The pawn shop owner was turning off the hose when Creek asked him, "The Sons of Lucifer did this?"

Instead of answering the man headed into the shop.

Winnie entered the building behind Bobo to see if Lem or Olivia needed help. They started coughing immediately and Bobo called out.

"Olivia!"

They could hear her coughing from the back of the building and she soon came into view.

"Lem okay?" Bobo asked the blonde woman.

"Yeah, he slept through it. He doesn't have to breathe. I do." She told them as she continued toward the exit.

"I'll be right out!" he said taking in the rest of the damage and starting toward the back of the building when someone spoke up.

"Just a big ol' distraction," said a male voice with a rusty southern twang.

Winnie and Bobo looked around before looking at each other in silent question. They shook their heads at the same time.

"Who's there?" the brunette interrogated angrily.

"Down here, dimwit," the voice said.

Winnie and the man looked down and both raised their eyebrow at what they found.

"Fiji's cat?"

"Yep, and oh, my beeswax, the cat talks," the animal said.

Winnie coughed to cover up her giggle but it transferred into a real need to clear her lungs.

"Now that that's out of the way, we got to move on. They took Fiji."

"What do you mean they took her?"

"I mean they came in the store, put a thingy over her mouth, and dragged her out—she's gone," was the reply before the shop's phone started ringing.

Bobo went to the phone and Winnie started to follow but paused when she heard the cat say something.

"She feeds me. Can't be away for too long."

"Hey," Winnie said talking to the cat, "You're name's Mr. Snuggly, right? You want to come here?" she asked holding her arms open.

"Sure, girly, just be careful. I'm old," he told her as he came closer and she picked him up before walking into the office, absentmindedly rubbing his ears.

Bobo had already answered the phone when they entered. His face was slack from shock but he almost snarled the name, "Peter Lowry."

Winnie came closer and was able to hear the voice on the phone.

" _So, Winthrop, is there anything you'd like to say to me?_ "

Bobo bit his lip before asking, "Where's Fiji?"

 _"_ _I'm disappointed. I was expecting an apology. You know, 'Sorry about Aubrey'?"_

"What?" the brunette asked confused before questioning, "What did you do with Fiji?"

 _"_ _She's fine for now. She'll be fine as long as I get what I want. I want the weapons. I want the money. I want all of it."_

"Done," Bobo accepted, "Where do you want to meet?"

 _"_ _I'll get back to you."_

"No, wait, let's do this now. I can be ready—" Bobo began to say but stopped as the line went dead.

"It's a trap," Winnie announced.

Bobo's jaw tightened and he nodded, "Yeah."

Her face looked pained as she continued speaking, "Even if you give him what he wants, he'll kill you both. You heard him. He blames you for Aubrey's death. To him, this won't be over until you're dead."

"No, they won't care once they've got what they want," Bobo assured.

"I hope you're right," said the gypsy girl in a worried tone.

"Listen, I'm going to take care of this," he said placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently, "I'll get Fiji back, just let me handle it."

She sighed, "You're just like my brother, always trying to protect me, even when you're the one who needs help."

He gave her a smile and rubbed her shoulder soothingly before pushing her toward the exit, "Go on."

"Men," she mumbled as she turned to leave.

"Hm, most men are dumber than a box of rocks," said the cat in her arms, "it's a wonder you women folk haven't started running things yet."

Winnie chuckled, "Who says we don't?"

The cat seemed to shiver, "That's a scary thought, girly."

Exiting the shop, Winnie found Manny waiting for her. He looked at her and then the cat she was holding, "What's with the cat?"

She looked down at the animal, which looked up at her, before she explained, "He found his way into the shop. I found him and was making sure he got out. I was just taking him over to Fiji's."

"Oh, alright, I—I'm going to talk to Creek. I'll see you later," he told her.

The redhead chuckled. "You know, if you get anymore attached, you might find yourself wanting to stay," she teased, "and that wouldn't be a bad thing. I like it here."

He scoffed and left toward the restaurant.

"If he was a cat, he'd have his tail between his legs. That boys acting jumpier than a cricket," Mr. Snuggly said quietly were only Winnie could hear him.

"Here, let's go find you something to eat and I'll tell you about it," she offered.

"That's mighty kind of you, girly."

"Be warned, I don't have cat food, so I'll probably end up feeding you sandwich meat."

"Yum," The cat said and began to purr.

* * *

Manny came into the RV and started searching the stash while Winnie sat on the long seat petting Mr. Snuggly, who was curled up in her lap.

"What are you doing?" She questioned flatly.

"I need to get some cash, fast, and I was going to pawn these."

Her tone turned matter-of-fact, "Uh, no, you are not pawning our magical ancestral heirlooms."

"I need a hundred thousand and I've only got twenty-one of that," he told his sister.

She sighed and got up with the cat in her arms, "Come on, I've got cash but I'm only giving you double what you have. I still believe this isn't about the money," she turned to glare at him as she opened up her trailer, "so if you survive this I expect every cent back. You hear me?"

They stepped into the trailer and she pointed to the correct cabinet and he pulled out the $42,000.

"Now open that drawer," Winnie told her brother pointing to a drawer below the cabinet.

Manny's eyes widened when he saw what was in said drawer.

"Where did you get all of this?" he asked looking through the jewelry inside.

"Family heirlooms of the not-magical variety," she explained, "You can take some of the weirder relics and this stuff over to Bobo's and maybe get twenty thousand for it, it won't get you a hundred but it will be close. Oh, and I'll want those back too."

"Thanks for this," he said indicating the money and valuables. "But I need you to stay out of this. You were like a second daughter to him, Hightower won't hurt you but I need you to stay safe."

"I know," she said in that exasperated tone she usually used when he was being overprotective, "Beside, after everything that happened, Bobo has some stuff to do. I was thinking about helping him."

"You're awesome," he told her with a smile, gathered everything up and kissing her on the cheek as he left the trailer.

"Yeah, yeah," she said watching him go, "Just don't get killed, Manny, you're the only thing from our family I really care about."

He didn't acknowledge that he heard her, so she just huffed and locked up the trailer.

"I'm still wonderin' were all that green came from," Mr. Snuggly said from his place in the gypsy's arms.

"Well, my fine feline friend, a person who occasionally receives psychic visions may find the opportunity to place the odd bet, now and then," she said rubbing him behind the ears, "And then there is the small bit that happens to find its way to me by other means. What you saw is only what I've happened to acquire since my grandmother died."

The cat gave a contemplative hum but it was drowned out by his purring, which was induced by the girls massaging fingers.

* * *

Winnie left her house about an hour before sundown, ready to help Bobo, and was heading over to the pawn shop when someone came around the back of the RV and into sight.

She saw the reverend approaching and bit her lip. Winnie was close to turning around and heading back inside, when he finally stopped in front of her.

"Hello, Winifred," he greeted.

She flashed him a small smile, "Hi. I'm sorry but I can't talk right now. I'm kind of in a hurry," she started to say trying to inch passed him.

"This will only take a minute," he said quickly and waited until she was looking at him before speaking, "I know what I said this morning upset you and I would like to apologize. We obviously have different views on the animal side of my nature and I—"

He was cut off when the redhead gently took his face in both hands and pressed her lips against his. The kiss lasted a few seconds before Winnie pulled away slowly.

"You don't have to apologize," she told him before walking away.

* * *

"You need to think this through, first," Winnie tried to convince Bobo, "He hasn't called yet, so he's obviously waiting for it to get dark, which is a bad sign!"

The man seemed to be ignoring her as he continued to pace the floor.

"Bobo," the gypsy made his name sound almost like a plea, "You need a plan."

Lem's voice startled Winnie as he came into the room.

"Who did this?" the vampire barked loudly.

Bobo stopped his pacing to answer, "The Sons of Lucifer. It's me they're after, so let me take care of it."

"It stopped being just about you when they bombed Olivia's home," Lem said harshly.

After Lem spoke the phone began to ring and the owner headed toward the office to answer the call. Lem watched him walk away and Winnie hurried after him, she could tell that the vampire was following her.

"Tell me where and when," Bobo said forgoing any greeting.

Winnie was standing right beside him and heard Lowry speak. Lem had stopped at the door but everyone in the room knew the vampire could hear the conversation.

" _Service road off Ranchville Drive_ ," was the clipped reply. _"Come alone. We see anyone else, Curly's dead. You understand me?"_

"Yeah. I understand," Bobo answered his expression full of stone cold determination. There was an audible click on the line and the brunette hung up the phone.

"I remember when you first moved here," Lem suddenly mentioned, "Offered to buy this shop in cash." The vampire stepped around to the front of Bobo's desk to look the man in the eyes, "I knew you were running from something bad. I didn't ask questions then. I'm asking now. What do they want from you?"

"Alright, I'll show you," he told the dark-skinned man, before he turned to the girl standing beside him, "I don't suppose I can talk you into staying here."

Winnie shook her head. "Not a chance. You and Fiji are in trouble and I'm going to help. But you don't have to worry, I'm not going to put myself in danger and I won't get in the way. When it's time to meet them, you won't even see me," she promised.

Bobo just nodded and told them they would be going to his house. Winnie said she would take her bike and meet them there.

Ten minutes later she came up to Bobo's house. The two men were standing next to an open cellar door. She parked her motorcycle close before pulling off her helmet.

No one said anything until they were down the stairs. Bobo switched on the light and Winnie's eyes grew wide.

"Holy crap," she uttered under her breath. Crates and cases were stacked all around, plastic wrapped bundles of cash sat on top, and guns lined the wall.

"You're right," the brunette man told the vampire, "I was runnin'…from my family."

"This belonged to your family?" Lem probed suspiciously.

"Yeah, my parents are wealthy, well-connected, and, uh…" Bobo grimaced, "white supremacists."

The psychic stood slack jawed and stared at her landlord and friend.

Lem slowly turned to look at the man and the only thing he seemed capable of saying was, "Oh."

Winnie let out a gust of air and closed her mouth. "Okay," said the redhead voice a little shaky, "Not like you're a mass murdering psychopath, it's just that your parents are…right."

Lem walked over to a case and opened it to reveal stamped gold bars.

"They had big plans for this stuff," Bobo told them, "Once I found out about it, I didn't want it on my conscience, so I left."

Lem spoke, "With their stuff?"

"Yeah," Bobo nodded and started to explain, "Story spread. This cache became a holy grail of sorts for the white power crowd. One of Lowry's guys must have figured out who I was."

"That's why he sent Aubrey," Lem concluded.

"Manfred said that Aubrey's feelings for me were real. That's probably why Lowry killed her. Now he's got Fiji."

"Not for long," said the vampire, "Let's bring her home."

The bald supernatural started making his way to the ladder when the man tried to stop him, "Lem, I got to go alone. If I don't they'll kill her. I can't take that risk."

"I'm afraid that doesn't work for me."

Winnie lightly tapped the man on the shoulder with her knuckles and gave him a half smile, "Just like my brother," she told him. "I'll take my bike and stay at a distance."

"I'll stay close, under the vehicle, just don't drive over any large rocks," Lem said, "Now we should start getting this loaded up."

* * *

There was a group of bikers waiting for Bobo when he arrived. Winnie had stayed back far enough that they wouldn't be able to hear her engine, but she had to use an old spyglass to see what was going on. She gritted her teeth when the bikers started to beat up the pawn shop owner.

When it was over and they were moving again, Winnie followed even farther behind her lights off the whole way, dangerous as that was. The group ahead finally stopped when they reached what looked like an abandoned warehouse. She killed her engine almost half a mile away and pulled out the spyglass to watch.

Then the bikers start to unload the crates and Bobo was taken to talk to a man, Winnie assumed he was Lowry. When they took Bobo away Winnie made her move at the same time Lem did. She arrived by the time the vampire had cleared out the area around the truck. Lem was taking out everyone that got in his way.

Staying to make sure the other three had a clear exit she watched out for anyone coming toward the truck, but then the side of her that was an opportunist kicked in and she started loading up the money into the truck as fast as she could. Guns were something she didn't care about but Bobo needed to make repairs to his shop.

Winnie stood waiting with the lights on in the truck as the others arrived.

"Sun's almost up," Lem warned Bobo.

"I'll be quick," the man said.

"Winifred, you should get going," Lem told the redhead as he helped Fiji toward the vehicle.

"Alright," she agreed with a quick nod as she started running back to where she had parked.

A little while later there was an explosion and Winnie waited for the others before she turned on her lights and followed them back to Midnight.

* * *

At Bobo's house everyone got out but then Lem was suddenly gone, on his way to the pawn shop and away from the threat of sunlight.

"I-I need to go home," Fiji said quietly.

"I'll take you," Bobo offered and helped her over to the vehicle he usually drove.

"Hey," Winnie spoke up and they looked at her, "I'm going to unload the truck before I leave."

"So, you loaded all that back up," he clarified.

She tilted her head noncommittally. "Yeah, you've got some repairs to do, remember? You'll need money for that. Now, hurry up and take Fiji home."

He nodded and they left.

Winnie sighed and sat on the bumper of the truck.

"I can't believe this," a voice snarled form her left, startling the woman.

The redhead turned to see the man she had identified as Lowry, but he was obviously dead, with a knife sticking out of his chest. The ghost was glaring at the taillights of Bobo's truck as it drove away.

"What can't you believe," she said equally startling the spirit, "That your racist ass got killed, or that a traitor and a bunch of freaks were the ones who did it?"

"Oh, make no mistake that pisses me off, but what really makes me angry, is your buddy Winthrop getting away with killing my wife. He and his whore get to live while everyone I knew and loved is dead!"

"So, you do believe Bobo killed Aubrey?" She questioned.

"That's what I said," the spirit spat.

"Aubrey was killed by someone wearing a Sons of Lucifer jacket," Winnie told the ghost, "Her ghost showed me what happened."

"That's a lie," Lowry said vehemently.

Winnie sighed and her face took on a contemplative visage, "No, it's a fact, so either one of your friends killed your wife or someone dressed like one of your gang did. Either way, you need to leave," she said looking at the ghost then waved her hand as if clearing the air and the spirit was gone.

Winnie had unloaded the truck by the time the sun came up and was about to leave when Bobo came back. She gave him a curious look, "I was thinking you would have stayed with Fiji."

"She said she wanted to get some rest, and I needed to get cleaned up," Bobo told her.

"Yeah," she said looking at the dried blood on the side of his face, "Come on, I'll help."

He gave her a tired smile, "Thanks, I'm really grateful for what you've done for me and Fiji."

She shrugged and walked with him into the house, "We're friends, right?"

* * *

Winnie left Bobo's house after helping the man clean and disinfect his cuts. She made it back to her place sometime before ten o'clock and was more than ready to go to bed.

"Where have you been?" Manny asked as she walked through the door. Her brother was sitting on the couch and looked just as tired as she felt.

The redhead curled up into his right side and laid her head on his shoulder before she spoke, "Helping Bobo, which it turns out, involved rescuing Fiji from a gang of bikers. Probably wasn't any safer than what you did last night."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Probably not," he agreed, "but we're still here, and I'm glad because 'you're the only thing from our family I really care about'." He told her, repeating the words she had said earlier. They shared a smile and he placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "Now come on, we both need showers. You first," he said nudging her off the couch.

She quickly took a shower and got dressed while her brother took his turn. During their showers they each took turns telling the other what they had been doing since the fire. Remembering something she went back into the bathroom, "Hey, Manny?"

"Yeah?" he called from the other side of the curtain.

"I talked to Lowry's ghost," she said, a second later the curtain opened and she was looking at her brother, "He said Bobo killed Aubrey. He didn't know that the killer was wearing a biker jacket when she was attacked."

"So what does that mean?"

She pursed her lips, "I don't think it's over."

"Hm," was his only reply as he finished taking a shower.

"Oh, and I kissed the Rev," she announced as she left the bathroom.

There was a thumping noise she hoped was the soap before he exclaimed, "What?! Winnie, what do you mean you kissed the Rev?"

She giggled as she heard him quickly finish his shower and turn off the water. He came into the bedroom with a blank face.

"Talk," he ordered sitting down beside her on the bed.

"Well, I kissed him," she said, but he kept looking at her and she clarified, "I was talking to him this morning and I got a little mad. Later, he came by to apologize and I…kissed him."

"Wow," he was clearly surprised but then he smirked, "kinky."

Winnie chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

"I mean, the whole age thing and then the whole bestiality angle," he continued.

"Ugh," she groaned pushing him onto the bed and grabbing a pillow, "I'm going to smother you," she half-heartedly threatened.

"No you won't," he argued pulling the pillow out of her hands and flinging it toward the head of the bed.

"Fine," she huffed before grinning impishly, "Then I'm going to tell Creak that you're ticklish."

"Then I'll just tickle you," he countered while following through and starting to jab his fingers into his sister's sides.

"No!" she cried trying to get away.

They wrestled on the bed for a minute before collapsing, both out of breath. Winnie curled her arms around her brother, who returned the embrace.

She tucked her head against his chest and closed her eyes, "I love you, Manny."

"Love you, too."

"I think I'm going to pass out."

"Ditto," he replied.

"Night," she said with a sigh but he was already asleep and she was quick to join him.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time the twins woke up. Winnie scrapped some sandwiches together for a quick meal and was standing in the kitchen when Creak knocked on the door. Manny answered while Winnie unabashedly eavesdropped.

Instead of a greeting the waitress said, "You made it out alive. Did he?"

The male psychic shook his head. "Long story. I wasn't sure I'd see you again after—"

"Your dead ex-fiancé fiasco?" the brunette woman asked.

"Look, if it's a deal breaker—" he started to say.

"It isn't," she interrupted and then stepped over the threshold and into his space, "I'm impressed. You did everything you could to make it right. You tried." There was a pause, "I'm sorry about what happened with your grandma. That really sucks."

"Yeah. It did," he stated before they kissed, "Can you stay a while?"

"How about I stay the night?"

Winnie raised her eyebrow at the same time Manny asked, "What are you gonna tell you dad?"

Creak looked down at the floor as she answered, "I already told him the truth. That I'm an adult, and he can't tell me how to live, and you and I are a thing," she finished looking him in the eyes. "I mean, if you're still planning on staying."

"Now I am," was the reply and he kissed her again, this time longer, "So, I'm not running anymore. You're not hiding from your dad. This gonna get boring?"

"Let's find out."

They both chuckled and started to make out as Manny shut the door.

Winnie shook her head and silently left through the back door. She came out of the alley on the other side of the pawn shop and made her way to the restaurant for a cup of tea. She sat and sipped the tea but didn't order a second cup, and soon after she left.

Once outside, Winnie went to the church. She and Manny weren't religious, and she hadn't gone to church in a long time before arriving at Midnight. There was no one inside so she headed for the middle pew. Taking a seat, she waited, but not very long.

"Winifred," the reverend said as he came around to stand before the pew in front of the redhead, "I didn't expect to see you."

"That's silly," she scoffed and smiled at him, "Of course you will, I live here."

He let a small smile curve his lips, "I suppose it is when you put it that way." The reverend went quiet and there was a long pause, in which he leaned against the pew behind him, before speaking again, "I'm beginning to see a pattern," he stated. She gave him a curious look and he explained, "You seek me out when you want to talk."

"Yeah, but that's 'cause I like talking to you," she smiled, "And I wanted to explain what happened yesterday morning."

"I see," said the man, "You should know that you don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I know, but I want to. I want you to know why I got upset," she paused to lick her lips, "Manny and I, uhm, we've seen ghosts all our life, and then in our pre-teens I developed empathic abilities and started having visions. Our Mom didn't have any abilities, so when we were born, she had no clue what she was in for.

"When we were babies Manny and I would laugh or cry sometimes and no one could figure out why. My Mom told a pediatrician about our behavior and he cautioned her that we might have autism. She probably would have been happier if that had been the case, instead her children could see ghosts.

"We grew up in a house that was haunted by the spirit of an old woman, who had lived there before us, Manny and I called her Aunt Penny. She looked out for us and would play games. Our Mom thought we had an imaginary friend until objects started moving around the house.

"When I was six, I woke up one morning feeling something that I had never felt before. My chest hurt and I couldn't stop crying, so my Mom took me to the hospital. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong and I was starting to feel better, so she took me home and suddenly I felt bad again. A neighbor came by later to talk to my Mom and told her that the elderly man living next door had lost his wife the night before.

"Two months later, I still felt the same but I was starting to get really sick and my doctor was worried about me developing pneumonia. I just wanted it to stop.

"One night, Aunt Penny came to tuck me in and I remember her telling me that I would feel better in the morning. The next morning I did feel better but around lunch time an ambulance came to the house next door. Everyone said that the neighbor couldn't take the heartache and had passed away in the night.

"Later, I asked Penny if she killed our neighbor. She said no, but I knew she was lying. She killed him because she somehow understood I was an empath, and I was feeling his emotions.

"A couple of years later, I had to sit next to this girl in class. She was always sad, depressed, and I could feel it. It was like the old man but worse."

She paused and looked up at him for the first time since she started speaking, "It was like her pain was my pain, and it was unbearable. That year I came closer to committing suicide than I care to admit. One night I had a vision, back then I didn't know the words for it. I saw the girl I sat next to, she was in a dark room and there was a man with her."

Winnie's eyes fell to the floor, "It was her own father. He had been molesting her for years. But, I just thought it was a bad dream.

"A few days later, she came into class and I got a flash, a vision that only lasted a second. I saw her falling off the monkey bars, so when we went to recess I told her to be careful not to fall. When she looked at me after I told her, she wasn't worried, she was almost in awe at the idea. No one wanted to admit that she threw herself off."

She sniffed and drew in a deep breath, "The ambulance and police showed up, but she was dead. Her ghost was there and she knew I could see her and she wanted me to tell them why she did it, she said 'tell them my Dad hurts me and I wanted it to stop'. So, I did.

"Not long after that, our mother left us with our grandmother, and I haven't seen her since."

She stood up and looked him in the eyes as she explained, "That's why I don't like it when people are feeling guilty about something that wasn't their fault. It's why I try and look on the Brightside.

"I've always been able to see ghosts and most of the time my visions are not pleasant. I couldn't survive having these gifts if I let myself get depressed. When you can see and feel Death, everywhere you go, sometimes it helps to be a little naive."

She bit her lip and stepped into the aisle facing away from the reverend. Taking a deep breath she turned back to him.

"Well, that's what I wanted to explain about yesterday morning, so there it is." She chewed on her lip before stepping closer and was relieved when he didn't stop her or back away. Her next words were a whisper, "but I kissed you, because you're an amazing person and I would like to do it again."

"So would I," he said quietly. His warm hands came up to frame her face and he gently pressed his lips against hers.

Winnie's left hand came to cradle the back of his neck as her finger tips played in the hair at his nape, while her right hand rested over his heart and she felt the steady rhythm under her palm.


	6. Blinded By the Light

_Author note: Okay, I know everyone has been waiting, so I'm posting this chapter. But, please be aware that I continue to edit chapters after they are posted and this one will be the same._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris._

Chapter6 – Blinded By the Light

"Tonight is the full moon," said Winnie as she came up to the black clad man sitting in the front pew.

He turned to her with a small smirk. "I know."

Chuckling, she glanced at her feet before looking back up and swiping away a stray ruby curl from her eyes, "Of course you do, but I was wondering…if you wouldn't mind some company?"

"Winifred—" he started his voice sounding taken aback.

"No, no," she quickly interrupted, "I just mean, hanging around outside. You know, keeping an eye on things."

Features tense, he asked, "Is this one of your 'feelings'?"

The redhead pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and responded with a reluctant nod.

Standing, he stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders while giving the psychic a reassuring smile. "I couldn't ask for better company, but you must promise to stay safe."

She smiled brightly at him before happily responding, "I promise."

* * *

There was shouting down the road, but the gypsy girl couldn't make out the words from where she sat outside the church. Several howls started up, seconds later, Winnie glared as she saw a group of kids enter Fiji's yard and start throwing things around.

When Fiji came out, the teens ran away from her house and towards the pet cemetery, which was close to where Winnie sat next to the cellar doors.

"Cherry-popping time, Aerin," one of the boys told the only female in their group.

"You know, it's okay. You go ahead. This place kind of creeps me out," she replied.

"I suggest you stop," Winnie told them coming out of the shadows, "Property damage is a small thing, but you don't want to mess with animal spirits. They haunt those who disturb them, relentlessly. You might lose an arm."

"Whatever, bitch," one of the boys said, "You can't do anything to us."

She grinned dangerously, "Who said I was going to do anything?"

There was a deep growl from the other side of the cemetery and a large dark shape pulled away from the other shadows. They didn't know what was coming towards them but the teens didn't wait to find out as they quickly ran away.

The girl screamed as she stepped on a dead opossum and then jumped when the tiger in the cellar started banging against the doors.

The psychic watched as the teen girl ran away.

Suddenly, there was a strong nudge from behind which almost knocked the redhead over, and caused her to laugh.

"Yes, you did a good job, buddy," she said to the hulking figure behind her. Then her brows knit in confusion, "but whatever I'm feeling isn't them. Ugh, this is frustrating."

* * *

After the sun came up, Winnie removed the lock and chain on the doors before walking into the restaurant for a cup of coffee, and then getting a refill.

Going back to the church with a third mug-ful of coffee, she leaned against the building to wait.

"Good morning," she greeted when the reverend exited the cellar.

She had taken to mentally referring to the weretiger by his title when he was dressed in black, or they were in public, to keep herself from jumping him. The plan was working so far, resulting in her having mixed feelings about how _well_ it worked.

"It's a little messy out here," she commented and silently added, ' but the view just got a whole lot better, literally a sexy beast.'

"I see that," he said, looking around at the dead insects and small mammal.

"Animals are a part of nature," the gypsy said as she handed him her mug, "The presence of Evil harms nature. It's affecting you too."

"Yes," he admitted and took a drink if the bitter brew, "That's why the full moon is even more dangerous now than before."

She just smiled and took the mug back before taking a sip. "I'm being careful," she told him indulgently and then looked at the ground, "We should grab a broom."

He shook his head. "I've got this, and you should go eat, I'll join you after. Did you sleep?"

"Mm, I took a nap. But don't worry, it's been hard to sleep lately anyway," she replied before adding, "I'll see you inside." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she left.

Inside the restaurant she stopped at the bar to place her order before heading to the Midnighters Room. A short time later, her brother joined her, taking a seat across the table.

"You look like you didn't sleep," he observed.

"You look like you have a headache," she stated. The siblings shared tired smiles.

"Touché. More spirits have been showing up lately. It's crowded…weird," Manny told her.

Winnie nodded, "There's a lot of bad vibes, that's for sure."

He nodded in agreement. "Listen, about Creek staying at our place…"

"Don't worry, things are a little awkward but it'll work out. Besides, I'm not going to get in the way, I've got the RV. You guys are in a relationship and I'll respect that, as long as you do the same."

"Deal," he told her with a grin. "So, how are you and the Rev?"

A small affectionate smile bloomed on her face. "We're good. He's sweet and kind, and we're both happy taking things slow."

"Good," her brother said, "but I can tell there's something bugging you."

"It's just," she hesitated, "These feelings I've been getting lately…I'm worried."

"Me too," he acknowledged.

Their food arrived together and Winnie started to eat but Manny paused to dig out his pills.

"I'm running low," he said.

"Same here," she admitted quietly.

Manny took one of the pills and looked up just as the reverend approached them.

The older man took the chair at the end of the table between Manny and Winnie. He folded his hands on the table in front of him before speaking, "Good morning, Manfred. How was your night?"

The brunette hesitated for a moment. "Good, and yours?"

"Mine wasn't great either," was the knowing replied. Winnie placed her left hand over his.

The male psychic scoffed and spoke quietly, "Yeah, full moon last night."

The reverend looked down at his hands and moved them to surround the redhead's hand in a warm grip before he spoke, "My wereself…it's hungry."

"Every day, I see more and more spirits," the medium said, "Feels like something weird is going on."

Winnie felt the hand covering hers twitch, and she took a sip of her coffee unable to look her brother in the eye at that moment. They sat in silence as the two psychics ate but neither was able to finish their meal.

"Excuse me," a voice said from the door.

Winnie looked up and saw one of the teens from last night. She pulled her hand back, physically retreating, and wrapped both hands around her mug which she then brought to her mouth without taking a sip.

The teen kept talking, "My friend was in here last night—uh, Aerin," he pulled out his phone to show them a picture of himself and the mentioned girl, "Her mom called and said that she didn't make it home, and, uh, have you seen her? We're pretty worried about her."

"I'm sorry, no," Manny told the boy.

"Neither did I," the Rev said, "However, I did see my cemetery was vandalized. You weren't here with your friend, were you?"

"Uh, no, no I—I don't know anything about that," the youth denied.

The reverend and male psychic shared a look, "Maybe my friend Manfred here could help. He's…intuitive."

"No, stop, stop right there. Don't use that witchy crap on me. It was a mistake asking you people." The young man started to say as he moved toward the door.

"Sure was, 'cause this 'bitch' can't do anything, right?" Winnie said while staring at the boy over her mug, and watched as the teen's eyes widened when he realized who she was. Then the teen was gone.

"You people?" Manny asked.

"He's inconsequential," the other man told the siblings, "What is a problem is that there's another missing girl."

Manny's face grew worried.

"I'll let the others know to meet us at the church."

The brunette nodded as he got up, "Right, I'll tell Creek to take a break."

After the other man left the room the black clad man turned to the woman next to him. "There was something significant in what you told that young man," he voiced.

"He was here last night. He and his friends were…rude," she told him.

"Why didn't you tell me," he asked, eyes showing concern and just a hint of anger.

She shook her head, "Because it was nothing, I've been called worse," she placated. "I'm fine."

He wasn't reassured by her words but let the conversation drop as he began to call the others.

"Hopefully she's just out partying," Creek said once they were all gathered and the others had been informed about the missing girl.

Winnie frowned and quietly uttered, "If that were the case, she would be partying with her friend."

"Yeah, and not laying in a ditch somewhere," Olivia added.

"Still, we should try and find her," Bobo said.

"What if…" Fiji spoke up hesitantly, "something else is going on? Something supernatural?"

Creek turned to her boyfriend, "Manfred, you've been seeing an uptick in ghosts, right?"

"Seeing and hearing, everywhere," he confirmed, "Psychic energy's off the charts."

"And I've been finding dead animals and bugs on Witch Light Road," the reverend added as he looked at Joe.

Winnie was the only one who understood Joe's sudden nervousness.

"Shouldn't we focus on finding the girl?" the tattoo artist questioned, "I'm gonna head out to the ranches." He swiftly left after making his declaration.

"Creek and I'll take the back woods," Manny offered and the two left behind Joe.

There was unease as Bobo looked to Fiji but it was cut when Olivia spoke, "Bobo, you're with me."

"Rev, you and I can look in town," Fiji suggested.

Said man glanced to the redhead beside him, who gave him a smile and nodded her head slightly in the other woman's direction. 'Go,' she mouthed.

Winnie was the only one left in the building and she sighed. Hoping to catch up with Olivia and Bobo, she started to leave and was hit with a vision. Images flashed in her mind; bright headlights coming toward her; a figure silhouetted in light; she was suddenly consumed by terror; and then the vision ended.

The sudden vision left her wrong footed and she crashed into one of the pews. She was suddenly struggling to catch her breath and swallow the foreign feeling that had caused her heart to race.

She took a moment to collect herself before pushing away from the bench and leaving the church. She felt a twinge in her side and knew she would have a bruise later.

Thankfully she was able to catch up to Olivia and Bobo before they left; unfortunately, it wasn't long after that Manny called to tell them he had found a body.

Winnie stood behind her brother as he crouched over the dead girl, the others stood a few feet away. She winced as her brother touched the dead body.

"If you're here, please make yourself known."

"Her name's Tiffany," Olivia reminded the male psychic.

"Right, Tiffany." He agreed before trying to address the girl's spirit, "We met on the vampire bus. You were donating blood."

"She was killed a while ago," Bobo observed.

"Yeah, a lot of things were killed here," Creek said her face scrunching up in disgust.

"Tell me what happened. We need to stop whoever did this to you," Manny continued.

"Oh, you poor thing, you were just dumped out here like garbage."

Olivia scoffed, "Yeah, she survived a vampire bus for this."

Manny shook his head. "I'm not getting anything," he told them as he stood up, "Her spirit's not here. It moved on, which is a good thing, the natural order. Spirits that stay are unsettled, unhappy."

"This is another Aubrey," Bobo told them.

"We don't know that," Olivia denied.

The pawn shop owner nodded, "Yeah, I do. Lowry didn't kill Aubrey. I know I didn't. Someone else dragged her body to the river, left her to die. Same person who did this."

"Should we call the authorities?" Creek wondered aloud, when Olivia and Bobo turned to her she went on, "In case someone is looking for her—"

"No, Tiffany fell of the grid long before she got to Midnight," The blonde woman stated firmly.

Bobo spoke next, "We need to find who did this. Deal with it ourselves."

"Which means, what exactly?" Manny asked him.

"We'll decide the punishment when we find out who's doing this," Olivia responded. "For now, let's just go look for the other girl."

Bobo's words were half-sarcastic, "Fingers crossed we find her before the cops start digging."

"Hey, guys, I need to head back to town," Winnie told the others.

Her brother looked at her in curiosity, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling too good."

Creek offed, "I needed to stop by my house anyway, so you can head back with us."

"Thanks," Winnie told the girl with a half-smile, but the feeling in her gut was making her anxious.

Winnie went with Creek and Manny to the waitress's house.

"So you just wanna check on Connor?" Manny asked as they quickly headed inside.

"I just wanna let him know what's going on," the waitress replied as she opened the door and called out, "Connor, you here?" She went into the back rooms and Manny closed the door after his sister entered.

"He'd call you if something was wrong."

"Yeah, or he'd heep quiet and protect my dad," she countered. "It's the Lovell way. I'm gonna check out back."

In the quiet, the psychics started hearing muffled sounds. Manny quickly took one of his pills while Winnie shook her head trying to will away the noise.

"Oh, great. You," the waitress's father said coming into the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Lovell, I'm here with Creek." Manny explained.

"Where is she?" her father asked.

Manny sniffed, catching the same scent of alcohol as his sister but he was the only one who commented on it.

"Starting early, huh?"

Mr. Lovell punched Manny in the face and loomed over the psychic who had fallen to the floor, "You come in my house, and I'm supposed to explain myself to you?"

Winnie wasn't surprised when the man hit her brother, she was mad, and if Creek hadn't come in she would have decked the girl's father.

"Are you kidding me? You're hitting him now?" Creek said to her father before asking her boyfriend, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, yeah."

"We're looking for Connor," she told her father.

"Well, he's not here," the man replied.

Creeks started shaking her head before she spoke, "Just because I'm not here all the time doesn't mean I'm not watching out for him."

"Get him out of my house."

Creek gave her father a disgusted look before she and the twins left.

They made their way down the street on foot.

"There, I texted Connor. Warned him Dad's hammered," Creek announced as they got closer to the church.

"What are you thinking?" Manny asked.

"I'm thinking I should've kept lying. I thought he could handle me having a life, but, boy, was I wrong."

"Any luck?" the Rev questioned as he approached them.

"No, we searched the river, fields by the Gas & Go—no luck." Manny informed him.

"Fiji and I searched the town," the black clad man told them.

"Well, should we check the road to Davy?" Creek asked.

"Hey, I'm seeing a lot of ghosts these days, so I'm not sure, but…Is someone out there?" Manny said looking out past the church yard.

The others also saw the person and squinting Creek recognized the person walking towards town, "Connor!"

When they reached him they saw that he was dirty and bleeding.

"Oh my god," Creek exclaimed before asking, "what happened?"

But Connor quickly fell unconscious and Manny caught him. The Rev helped carry him over to Winnie and Manny's as the two women followed. On their way Fiji saw and joined them.

Inside the house Creek and Fiji started to take care of the young man and Manny waited.

Winnie had stopped inside the door to the house and the Rev passed her on the way out. She followed him outside.

"You should know I had a vision," she said quietly.

He stopped and turned to her. "When was this?" he asked.

"After everyone left the church, I was still inside and it suddenly hit," she looked at her hands and began threading her fingers together, "It caught me a little off guard, the emotional feedback was intense."

His warm brown eyes filled with concern and he came closer to her taking her hands in his and soothing her fretting with soft strokes to her knuckles.

She continued talking as she remembered the things she had seen, "I saw four headlights. I think there was a pair mounted on the roof. I'm pretty sure it was a truck. Then a figure was standing in front of the light, but they were so bright I couldn't tell who. I'm only guessing, but it might have been male. It was like what happened to Aubrey but it wasn't her in the vision. I think it was the girl that went missing last night."

"Could you tell where it happened?"

She looked up at him and shook her head. "It was too dark, and she was too terrified to look away."

"We'll find her," he reassured pulling the redhead into his arms.

Winnie's brow knit. She leant back to look him in the face as she went on to say, "After we found the dead body in the woods, Creek pointed out that there were animal remains. Just like when Aubrey's body was found. That makes two sites where multiple animal remains were left to _decay_. An animal would have eaten what it killed," her voice lowered and was almost a whisper, "It can't be a coincidence, and if it's not a coincidence then it has to be a pattern. Seeing Aubrey's death and the attack on the missing girl…I believe there's a serial killer in Midnight."

He pulled her back in, tightening his embrace for a brief moment, before placing a kiss on her forehead. "I believe you. I have to go but I'll be back soon, let me know if you leave."

"Alright," she agreed as they pulled apart and he left.

Bobo showed up a little while after the reverend left and was standing outside the bathroom with Winnie, when Manny came back from the kitchen and Fiji came to talk to them.

"He's disoriented, might be a concussion," the witch informed them.

"Can I get you anything else?" Creek asked her brother from inside the room. They saw the boy shake his head.

Manny entered to hand the teen a bottle of water. "Connor…Um, you remember anything about the person who did this?"

"I—I went looking for the missing girl, and someone hit me from behind," the boy told them.

Manny turned to Bobo and said, "Same thing that happened to Aubrey."

"Are you sure it was human?" Fiji suddenly asked.

"What are you talking about?" Creek questioned the witch.

Bobo spoke, "What else would it be?"

Fiji hesitated, pursing her lips together before answering, "A demon."

Suddenly a loud knock at the door startled them.

"Oh!" Bobo exclaimed, he held up is hands to stall any panic and explained, "I called Lem." Then he left to answer the door.

Lem was unable to enter the house so everyone decided to go to the restaurant and use the Midnighters Room as a meeting place. Winnie shot a quick text to tell the reverend were to meet them.

Bobo, Manny, Winnie, Joe, Olivia, Lem, and Fiji were all in the room.

"I'm telling you, there's a demon," the dark-haired woman said, "I've been hearing it in my house. Manfred saw it too, when I cleansed his place."

Said medium used the hand that had been rubbing his forehead to gesture with an open palm as he spoke, "We banished it back to the other side of the veil."

Joe tried to redirect the conversation. "Shouldn't we be getting back to the girl?"

Winnie watched the blonde man start to bite his lip as Fiji continued to speak, and she gave his shoulder a brief, gentle squeeze.

"We thought we banished it, but what if that thing is what is doing this?"

"Demons are malevolent beings not of this Earth. The attack on Connor was downright sloppy—very human," Lem stated.

"Which means it's very solvable," Olivia explained, briefly opening her jacket to show the gun holstered under her arm.

"Wait, wait, there has to be something making me see ghosts everywhere and Fiji see demons and-," Manny said, but was interrupted by the door sliding open.

The reverend stood in the door way, but instead of his usual attire, he wore a black button up shirt, dark jeans, and a dark-blue jean jacket with a fuzzy white collar.

Winnie could hear her inner teenage girl squeal and declare, 'dry spell, over!'

Bobo went to close the door as the older man stepped inside.

Joe was the first to speak, "Rev?"

"Emilio," the man corrected with his eyes on the ground. When he looked up he continued, "I'm not here as a man of God. I'm a Midnighter and a friend."

Joe's hand rose to cover his mouth and he seemed to slouch even more into his seat. Winnie's eye glanced worriedly between them for a turn before she kept her eyes on the darker-haired man.

"I'm doing something wrong for reasons I believe to be right and I hope you will forgive me, but my conscience will not allow me to remain silent anymore," the weretiger went on to explain.

Lem stood with something like dawning realization on his face, and asked his old friend, "What's going on, Emilio?"

He shifted on his feet, hesitant, "You need to know that the veil between hell and Midnight is fraying. Evil energy is seeping out of the veil, affecting all of us and bringing out the darkness in us, as well as drawing evil to Midnight."

"Why are we just hearing about this now?" Fiji asked in an accusing tone, "I came to you."

"I was protecting my source," he replied.

"At my expense?" she asked, her voice emotional and angry, "There's a demon in my house, clawing me."

"Wait, clawing you?" Bobo asked, his voice full of concern as his body tensed. Fiji shot him a look and he looked away, "Are you okay?"

The witch turned to the weretiger, "Am I?"

He shook his head and answered honestly, "I don't know."

'Relax,' Winnie whispered in Joe's ear before speaking aloud.

"It'll get worse," the redhead stated.

Everyone turned to her, and she could see that most of the people in the room had just pegged her as the reverend's 'source'. Joe and Emilio were giving her surprised and knowing looks, respectively.

"I mean, just think about what's been happening lately. Vampires, a succubus, ghosts, demons and evil energies…there all signs pointing to things getting bad. And a psychic gypsy fortune-teller definitely knows how to read signs," she finished with a scoff.

"So there is a portal to hell opening in Midnight, a girl missing, and cops about to swarm if we don't find her," Manny summed up.

The weretiger and angel shared a look, before the former spoke up. "Two of those problems we can take care of right now if we find the girl," the dark-haired man said, "So, we need to keep looking."

"Alright," Manny agreed, "I guess that means we need to split up again."

"I remember you telling me you suspected someone other than the Sons of Lucifer for Aubrey's murder," Lem said to Winnie, as he and the twins made their way in the dark.

The redhead hummed an agreement, "Before, I thought if the gang had killed Aubrey they would have killed Bobo too, so there was either a reason they had left him alive or another killer," she shrugged, "Turned out to be both."

There was a long moment of silence until the brunette man spoke up, "Connor was attacked over there. I figured maybe I'd get a read on something."

Lem simply nodded in reply.

"What do you think about what the Rev said?" the male psychic asked the vampire.

"I'm curious who gave him the information," Lem answered, but for a second he glanced at Winnie. "I've been wondering why I've been so hungry lately."

"I'm not getting any readings."

"Not anything clear," Winnie added.

They paused and looked around before Lem said, "I am," he inhaled deeply and told them, "I smell blood." He pat Manny on the arm and started to walk in the direction they had been going, the siblings followed.

They rounded a large pile of timber and Manny's light fell directly on the startled face of Creek and Connor's father. In the man's arms was the missing girl.

Lem was suddenly there when the man started to run. "You're not going anywhere," the vampire growled and leeched the man's energy until the human fell unconscious.

Brother and sister rushed over to the girl, who coughed weakly.

Manny looked up at Lem. "She's alive."

Lem appeared relieved.

"We need to get her to Fiji," Winnie said looking at the weak state of the girl. She turned to Lem, "You can get her there the fastest. I'll call to let her know you're coming."

The vampire nodded and then looked down at the man on the ground, "I'll come back for him." The next moment the vampire and girl were gone.

"I can't believe Creek's dad is the killer," Manny told his sister.

"I don't know," she said looking confused while staring down at the unconscious man, "The picture I was drawing in my head…the killer was younger."

"What do you mean? Why?"

She looked at her brother and explained, "There's a reason stereotypes exist, and the stereotypical serial killer follows a pattern. The violence escalates, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly, but it usually starts out with violence against those the killer perceives as weaker than them. Usually it starts with cruelty towards animals during adolescence, until the killer believes themself to be mentally, and/or physically, mature enough to kill a human.

"The animal remains we found next to the bodies could mean those places were dump sites for the killer, which would mean the killer is either someone who lives here or frequently passes through. But, the fresher corpses of some of the animals made me think that the killer was young and only recently escalated to killing people.

"If my theory had been true than Mr. Lovell would be too old," she finished with a shrug.

Her brother didn't say anything as he seemed to think over what she had said before he replied, "I guess this time is different."

Lem returned and took the unconscious human, leaving the two psychics to make their way back on their own. When they got to the pawn shop the father was conscious but he wouldn't speak. Manny nodded to the exit and Winnie followed him outside.

On the sidewalk in front of their house, Manny turned to his sister.

He clenched his jaw and averted his gaze before looking Winnie in the eyes and speaking, "I need to tell Creek about her Dad."

Winnie gave him an understanding look. "Do you want me to go in with you?"

He shook his head and explained, "I think I need to do this alone."

"Okay, I'll go back," she said nodding to the pawn shop, "Keep an eye on things."

"Thanks," Manny told her and walked into the house.

Winnie silently observed things from the other side of the counter from where Mr. Lovell sat, duck taped to a chair.

Lem spoke as he stepped around the restrained man, "I always wondered what drove a man to move himself, his two children, somewhere so small and isolated. Most people wouldn't bring their families somewhere so remote…But I imagine you loved it," he growled the last sentence as he stopped in front of the human.

"We need to know for sure it's him," Bobo tried to reason, but the look on the shop owner's face told everyone he was seconds from violence.

"I found him with her," Lem said surely.

There was a pause, in which Bobo turned to Lovell, who glanced behind him at Olivia. The blonde shifted and looked down at the man.

Lem went on speaking to Lovell, "You're gonna tell me how many. How many girls have you killed?"

The man said nothing but his eyes moved away from the vampire.

"I will drain you if you don't tell me how many people you've killed," Lem said before flashing his fangs with a snarl.

Olivia grabbed the man by the hair and brought a knife to his throat.

"Stop," Manny called as he came into the shop and stopped between Bobo and his sister, "We're not torturing Creek's father."

"Why not?" Olivia questioned the medium. "He did worse to those victims, to his own son."

"And he brought law enforcement here. The man has endangered us all," Lem added.

"Doesn't mean we can act as judge, jury, and executioner," Emilio countered coming to stand beside Winnie and her brother.

"Oh, sure, we can," the blonde woman said with a humorless chuckle. "We're gonna do this the Midnighters' way," she tugged on the older man's hair and he winced, "swift and simple."

"There's nothing simple about this," the weretiger told her, then pointed his finger at Lovell, "This man should be locked away."

"Or we do to him what we did to the succubus, and Zach and the other vampires," Lem started to dispute, "End him."

Manny tried again. "Maybe it's the veil," he said before turning to Emilio, "You said the veil is making people give in to the darkness. Maybe that's why he's—"

"The veil can't make someone evil," the Were interrupted, "If he gave in to the darkness, it was already there inside him."

Manny's jaw clenched as he stepped closer to his girlfriend's father, "Creek is devastated. She needs to know why. Is that why you didn't want me around her? 'Cause you know I see the dead and they tell me things?"

The man remained silent.

Manny backed away with a look of realization, "He's hiding something."

"Where are you headed?" Lem asked when the male psychic started to leave.

Manny spoke over his shoulder as he answered but kept walking, "If he won't talk, maybe his victims will."

"Manny, I'm coming with you," his sister called out as she rushed to catch up before he left.

They exited the pawn shop and started down the road and the medium turned to his sister, "I thought you were going to keep an eye on things?"

"I was, but now I'm done. The room is split fifty-fifty and I'm the final vote, which isn't good because I don't even believe he's the killer," she told him.

"Well, looks like we're about to get some answers," Manny replied.

The brunette kicked in the door when they arrived and entered first. They paused and a moment later both psychics could hear noises coming from their right. Winnie followed her brother as the voices got louder and she started to make out whispered words and sobbing.

It got louder as they entered one of the bedrooms. The presence of spirits affected the two psychics. Manny reached for his head as he groaned in pain, and Winnie started to breath rapidly, the emotions flooding her senses were a chaotic mess of fear, pain and hopelessness, she raise a hand to press against her chest.

It only got worse as Manny knelt down to remove a vent cover on the floor. He reached in and pulled out a box and suddenly, blessedly, the voices and pain stopped.

Winnie finally felt the tears that had begun to run down her cheeks and she wiped them away before glancing around. She could tell that this was a teenagers room form the posters on the wall, and she glanced down at her brother who took a seat on the bed and cautiously raised the lid to the box.

Inside was a familiar mask and both siblings reached for it at the same time, and they were assaulted by visions. They looked at each other wide-eyed, alarmed by the realization of who the killer was.

"Is it him?" Manny asked the girl, showing her a picture he had taken off the wall of the Lovell home before coming to Fiji's, "Is he the one who hurt you?"

The girl looked at the photo of Connor and Creek, and nodded. "I tried to run away. But he found me."

"You're safe now. I promise," Fiji told her.

"He had a metal pipe," the girl continued, "He hit me with it, and I passed out."

Winnie stood next to the box that had been placed on the table and looked at its contents, but she never touched anything. Bobo stopped next to the box too, listening to the girl as he started looking at the things inside.

"But when he came back, I was ready for him, and I had a rock. And I hit him with it, hard, and then I just tried to get as far away from him as I could," the girl finished.

Manny went over to his sister and landlord. Bobo started to speak to the other man.

"I gave this to Aubrey," he said as he showed the siblings Aubrey's engagement ring.

"I need to tell Creek," Manny quietly informed the other two.

"I'll go with you," Bobo said.

Winnie was right behind them, "Me too."

"Be hard not to strangle him with my bare hands," Bobo said as he marched to the door of the siblings' home.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Manny said grabbing Bobo's arm and pulling him to a stop on the porch, "Creek's there. She's been through enough. Let's not make this harder on her than it has to be."

"I'll restrain myself in front of Creek," he replied.

Bobo continued and threw the door open as he stepped inside, only to find the house empty.

Manny went to the bedroom calling out, "Creek?" No answer so he tried again, "Creek?" another pause, "They're gone."

They left and returned to the pawn shop as Manny tried to get ahold of his girlfriend, "Creek, it's me. Call me back. I need to know where you are. Call me."

Hanging up, Manny went to the missing girl's father, "I need to know. Where would Connor go? Where would he take her?"

"I don't know. I really don't," Creek's father answered. Once he spoke he continued babbling, "Creek never understood why we couldn't have pets, but it wasn't fair to them. It made me sick, but Connor said that it was…fun. We took him to doctors. They wanted to put him away. I lost my wife. I couldn't lose him too."

"You put our home in danger," said the vampire.

"I never meant for that to happen. I'm here because it's isolated. You all, you can protect yourselves from him."

Bobo fisted his hands and spoke, "How about the ones who couldn't, hmm? Like Aubrey, Tiffany?" Manny held the angry man back.

"I tried to keep an eye on him. I found out about Aubrey too late. When I heard about the girl gone missing, I—I went out looking for her. I wanted to find her.

"He's got Creek," Manny told him.

"He wouldn't hurt her," the father denied.

"You sure about that," Olivia quietly asked while looking the man in the eye.

"Connor knew we'd discover the truth sooner or later," Winnie suddenly said but her eyes stayed glued to the sleeve of her brother's jacket beside her. "He's scared because he doesn't have anyone to help clean up his mess anymore, so he's running and he's got Creek."

Her eyes moved to bore into Lovell who flinched. "I'm against punishing the innocent, but you're not innocent," the redhead stated as the energy in the room changed and Mr. Lovell started to breathe harder.

"When I walked into your son's room, the souls of his victims were crying out," she said and began to walk towards the bound man. Each footstep echoed and was punctuated by her words as she seemed to stalk closer, "gasping...sobbing…screaming…pleading, for it to stop, so much fear and pain. If he gets away, your daughter is next. Just thought you should know," she whispered her next words into Lovell's ear, "because she's already lost to you, either way. Creek will _never_ forgive you."

The man suddenly broke down into tears and uncontrollable sobs. He called out his children's names before repeatedly uttering the phases 'I'm sorry' and 'I don't know' over and over again.

Winnie straightened and headed for the door while speaking to the others. "I need some air," said the gypsy girl but she kept walking after she got outside.

She unlocked her trailer and unloaded her bike and helmet. She already had her riding jacket on; it had been getting cold enough that she had started wearing it most of the time. Locking it back and searching on her key ring for the engine key she saw Manny come around the corner.

Lem suddenly appeared in front of the brunette man and asked, "Manfred, where are you going?"

"Creek's in danger. I'm not waiting," he answered.

"So you're just gonna get in your RV and start driving!" Olivia shouted as she came after him.

Bobo was a step behind the blonde, and then Emilio came around the corner. Fiji came from the other direction.

"Yeah, until I find her," Manny told Olivia.

"Okay, you go south. I'll go north," Bobo suggested.

"What, they could be anywhere," Fiji protested.

"That's a lot of ground to cover," the weretiger added.

Winnie was watching from her place beside her bike and saw Joe unzipping his jacket with a resigned look.

"Am I supposed to hope that Connor will kill a stranger but not his sister?" Manny snapped but then he sounded lost, "Or just wait…just until we find her body somewhere?"

"No," the tattoo artist told him before taking off his shirt.

"Joe!" Winnie cautioned when she realized what her friend was doing.

"My goddess…Joe, what are you doing?" a puzzled Fiji asked.

There was the sound of popping joints as features started sprouting from the blonde man's back. Everyone simultaneously stepped closer, and Winnie pushed her bike around them toward the street until she stopped beside the angel.

"I can cover more ground from above," Joe said as he flexed his wings and then started running before his powerful wings lifted him into the sky.

Manny was the first one to speak after Joe left. "Was I the only one not in the loop?"

"Nope," Olivia replied.

Fiji said, "Did not suspect that."

"Well, that explains a few things." Lem added.

"So he's an…" Bobo started to ask.

"Angel," Emilio and Winnie said together.

The man finished by saying, "Joe is an angel."

Lem took off and Winnie grabbed Joe's discarded clothes before getting on her bike.

The weretiger noticed what the redhead was doing, "Winifred…" he didn't get a response as she stuffed the clothes inside her jacket and zipped it up, "Winifred."

"Winnie!" Manny called and his sister turned to him.

"What?"

"What are you doing?" he asked his sister.

"I'm going to help find them," was her reply as she went to put the key in her bike, but then it was suddenly pulled out of her hand. She turned to see the person that had taken her keys and found Emilio.

He backed away and she got off of the bike to follow him.

"Give me my key back," she demanded flatly.

He shook his head, "I can't do that. Joe and Lemuel will find the Lovell's. You should stay here."

She glared at him. "You can't just..." she started but her eyes glanced behind him and she gasped.

Everyone turned to see what had startled the female psychic and a second later a loud engine started. Everyone turned around to see Winnie speeding down the street on her motorcycle.

The weretiger glanced at his hand and found it empty.

Manny clasped him on the shoulder. "Don't feel bad, I fall for that one too."

By the time Winnie arrived, Connor was already dead. She handed over Joe's sweater and vest and the man got dressed.

Winnie faced the other girl and looked her in the eye. "I know your world's just been turned upside down, and you feel even more lost than you did before. Eventually it will lessen, just hang in there, and let me know if you think you can't. I'll help," she said sincerely.

Creek surprised the psychic when she hugged her and started crying. The waitress allowed herself a few minutes of crying before she dried her eyes and backed away.

"Thanks," Creek said quietly.

Winnie nodded, "Anytime."

"We should get back to Midnight," Lem told the others.

Creek cleared her throat and nodded before replying, "Right."

"You three should take the truck. I've got the bike," Winnie announced.

They agreed and it wasn't long after that they turned onto Witch Light Road and stopped in front of the group still outside the psychics' place, the motorcycle parking behind the truck.

When they exited the truck, everyone was looking expectantly at the three. Lem shook his head and Emilio lowered his. Olivia went to Lem and hugged him tightly, while Creek made her way to Manny who held her close.

Winnie came around the truck to join everyone. When the dark-haired Were spotted her, she gave him a wavering smile. He approached the redhead and pulled her into a kiss, his hands on her hips, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh my…" Fiji exclaimed with a blushing smile.

"Looks like tonight is just full of surprises," Bobo commented.

Joe was a little wide-eyed when he spoke, "I have to agree."

They broke the kiss, Winnie pressed her forehead against his as she spoke softly, "I hope I didn't worry you, too much."

"Only a little," he replied with a light chuckle, "I was more worried that you would be angry with me for taking your keys. You seemed upset before you left."

She leaned back. "And here I was worried you would be angry because I tricked you."

"Lesson learned, I'll have to be more alert around you," he stated.

"You really are amazing," remarked the redhead.

* * *

In the morning, the formerly missing girl was picked up by her mother outside of Fiji's. Winnie walked with Creek to the church for the service that Fiji was giving to the spirits of Connor's victims.

The Rev met them outside. "Creek your father is in the chapel and asked if I would pass on his request to speak to you," the man informed the waitress.

"I don't…" Creek started to say when Winnie spoke up.

"This isn't about your father, Creek," the gypsy girl told her, "You need closer. But if you're not ready that's fine. Take things at your own pace."

Creek nodded and pursed her lips before speaking, "You're right." She turned to head inside.

"Last night was a trying time for her," Emilio acknowledged as they watched the brunette woman leave.

"Yeah," Winnie agreed. She turned to look at the reverend. "You know, Reverend, I keep telling myself that it's not appropriate to kiss you when you're dressed like that."

"Holding hands," he gently took her hands and pulled her into his space, "and kissing, are things we have already done. There is no need for you to hold back," he told her, gently tilting her chin to place a kiss on her lips. He pulled back and moved to place an arm around her back as he gently coaxed her into walking with him. "In these, or any other clothes, I am the same man who has come to hold great affection for you. So, you should think of me as simply Emilio."

"Honestly, I'm falling for you hard. The only thing I'm holding back from is ripping off your clothes in front of our friends," she said and blushed when her eyes met his heated ones, "So, no more of this Winifred stuff. Everyone I care about calls me Winnie, and I'd feel a little," she held up her hand, thumb and pointer fingers less than an inch apart, "better if you did the same."

"Of course, Winnie," he replied with a lopsided grin.

* * *

They joined the small group that had gathered behind the church, and stood with their arms around each other. Fiji performed her ritual for the spirits and after that the group broke apart.

When the gypsy and reverend entered the church, they found Creek's father still inside.

"I'm going to need a minute," he told the redhead.

She nodded and gently rubbed his back before pulling away, "Okay. I'm going to go talk to Joe. I'll see you later."

Entering the tattoo shop, Winnie found it empty so she headed for the apartment above. She found Joe in his art studio and she walked in.

"That's as beautiful as it is terrifying," she commented as she gazed at the hellish scene on the canvas the blonde man sat in front of. "You're an amazing artist."

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"So the cat's out of the bag, huh? People know you're an angel."

"Look, I appreciate you trying to keep my secret, but the Rev was right, the others needed to know the truth."

"Right, the truth," she murmured and then questioned, "Chuy's been gone a lot lately, and it's because of the Veil, isn't it?"

She looked at him with a knowing gaze when the artist turned to her, a surprised look on his face, "What do you mean?"

Huffing out a humorless laugh she stated, "I'm an empath. I can feel it. The evil is growing. Things keep getting darker every day. And your husband is just as affected by the Veil as Emilio and Lem. I'm kind of relieved that he's not here. Chuy's kick ass but he's not really the fighting type, so it's better if he doesn't have to deal with this."

They lapsed into silence which wasn't disturbed until the reverend entered the room.

Emilio came to stand beside the work bench in the middle of the room before he spoke, "Well...You must be angry with me."

The angel was sad to hear those words, and shook his head lightly before replying sincerely, "No, I'm not. If you hadn't done what you did, I might not have gone after Creek."

"I think you would have," the weretiger said with conviction.

"Maybe..." the blonde answered before drawing in a deep breath, "But I used my light to save her, which means they will be coming for me."

Emilio clenched his jaw and nodded in understanding.

Joe threw down the brush he had been holding. "I should call Chuy and tell him."

"Thank you, Joe," Emilio told him and held out his hand to Winnie, who took it, "If you need anything, we're here."

"Whenever you need us," Winnie added as she let the dark clad man pull her out the door.


	7. Angel Heart

_Author note: Another chapter finished. That means we are now on 7 of 10. I'm not sure what to do when it's finished. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, please let me know what you think._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris._

Chapter 7 – Angel Heart

It was two days after Connor's death and Winnie was ready to pull her hair out. Something was coming and it was going to be a problem for the town soon. A sense of anticipation had been building in her bones since the night they saved Creek, and it made her skin crawl.

The redhead was just glad that her brother hadn't noticed her anxiety. They could read each other like a book, and Manny didn't need to worry about a new threat while he was still concerned about his girlfriend.

"Ugh, I can't stand this," Winnie announced loudly as she paced the RV.

"What bee crawled in your bonnet?" Xylda asked her granddaughter as her ghost appeared, watching Winnie from the passenger seat.

"Stupid empathy is giving me the heebie-jeebies!" she almost yelled.

"Well then, you need to do something to take your mind off of it. Get out. Go find that man of yours. I'm sure he can scratch your itch," she gave the girl a smirk, "Goodness, Honey, don't stay cooped up in here with my old ghost."

"You're not so bad, Grandma. Having you around saves on air conditioning," Winnie told the ghost jokingly.

"Why you," Xylda laughed. "Get on out of here, Silly Goose."

* * *

"Hey Mr. Snuggly," Winnie said as she passed the gate to Fiji's shop/house.

"Hello, Girly, headed over to the church, huh?" the cat replied as he bumped his head against her leg and then slowly rubbed the rest of his body against her jeans.

Winnie snickered, "No, I already called, Emilio's busy. Actually, I come baring a gift for you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a can of tuna. "I hope you like tuna fish. I made sure to get the good stuff," she said as she opened the can and knelt to place it down, the strong smell of fish in the air.

"Oh," the cat replied as he quickly started to devour the offering.

Stroking his back as he ate, Winnie spoke, "You enjoy, buddy, when you're done just leave the can on my porch. You don't want Fiji finding it."

The redhead stood up and headed back down the street and to the pawn shop. She found Bobo taking inventory and sorting out new acquisitions.

"Need any help?" she offered coming to lean on the counter beside the owner.

He smiled at her but the expression wasn't up to its usual luster. "That would be appreciated. Work might go faster with two people."

They split the job and when it was done, Winnie turned to the brunette, "I couldn't help noticing that you and Fiji aren't talking."

"She's upset that I didn't tell her about my family," Bobo admitted.

"If that's how she feels there's nothing to do about it," Winnie told him with an apologetic look, "But hey, things change, and feelings definitely change. I mean, I used to hate onions, but now I love grilled onions on my burgers. It's going to take her a little while to realize that an onion is an onion, no matter how you slice it." She placed a hand on his arm and finished quietly, "You're still my friend, and a good man."

He gave her a tight-lipped nod.

"Hey, how about we have some fun?" she suddenly asks with a pat to his shoulder as she eagerly bounced on her toes.

"What kind of fun?" he asked puzzled.

She grinned impishly. "The kind of fun that involves us going to Davy, buying the largest cooler we can find and filling it with sodas, beers and premade pizzas. Then we need to grab stuff for s'mores and buy a portable fire pit. Plus, all the other little stuff that you need when having a campfire."

* * *

After they got back Bobo offered to put the fire pit together while Winnie put the pizzas in the oven to bake. There was two of each kind of pizza she could find; veggie, supreme, three meat, cheese and even Hawaiian.

Bobo headed into the shop to pull out a long folding table and ten chairs from his storage closet. Then he came back with a pile of wood, slow burning coals and starter fluid for the fire. Just as they got everything together Winnie started calling the others.

It was finally dark, and the fire pit sat blazing in the middle of the 'yard' between the RV and Trailer. The table had been set up next to the RV and all of the pizzas had been set out, along with paper plates and napkins. The cooler sat on the ground beside the food, and was full of ice and different beverages.

Emilio was the first to show up. He had changed before arriving, and was dressed in casual clothes.

"Hey!" the redhead woman greeted the weretiger with a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hello. So we're having pizza," he observed as he wrapped an arm around her waist, eyes scanning the yard.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if you ate veggie pizza, or you would just want cheese, so I got both," she paused and turned to him with a worried look, "You eat pizza right?"

He chuckled, "Yes, I eat pizza, and either one is fine."

"Good, I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of left overs, so it will be cold pizza for breakfast. Come on," she tugged him over to the table and handed him a plate, happy when he didn't hesitate to grab several slices.

After that, Manny and Creek emerged from the house. Lem and Olivia came from the pawn shop. Fiji seemed a little hesitant and stayed on the opposite side of the fire as Bobo. Joe came last and trailing behind him was Mr. Snuggly.

The cat came up to the gypsy girl and meowed loudly.

"Mr. Snuggly," Fiji reprimanded.

Winnie just laughed, "What would you like? Cheese? Or three meat?"

He gave a meow at the second option so she grabbed a slice and put it on a plate for him, which she sat under the table to make sure he didn't get stepped on.

"You're spoiling that cat," Manny told her from his seat next to the fire.

She heard Mr. Snuggly hiss as she admonished, "Hey now, you worry about you dear brother, and leave my guests alone."

They all sat around the fire enjoying the food, except for the vampire of course. Winnie sat next to Emilio, who was beside Fiji. Olivia and Lemuel were sitting on the other side of the witch. Bobo sat between the vampire and Joe, and the angel was next to Creek, who was leaning into Manny's right side. There was a chair between the two psychics that had a medium sized box sitting in it.

"It's been a while since I've been camping," Bobo said with a lopsided grin, "Sitting out her, like this, kinda brings back memories."

"It's also been some time since I have enjoyed it," Lem admitted.

"Sometimes, when we'd stop for the night, Grandma would make a little fire pit and burn old newspapers so we could eat s'mores," Winnie told them.

Manny scoffed, "And you would toast your marshmallows for ten minutes."

"I like it when they're all gooey on the inside and not burnt," she shot back.

"They taste better that way," he playfully argued back.

Conversation flowed after that, as the atmosphere became lighter. Later, after everyone was through eating pizzas, Winnie opened the box beside her.

"I hope you saved room for dessert," the redhead said holding up a bag of marshmallows while the other hand contained collapsible skewers. She passed along the box which also included graham crackers and chocolate bars.

Laughing, when Mr. Snuggly ran off with a dropped marshmallow, Winnie leaned back into Emilio's shoulder with a content sigh.

"Grandma used to tell us stories," Manny said wistfully before addressing his sister, "You remember the one about the gnomes?"

The redhead suddenly started laughing so hard she snorted. With wide-eyes, she covered her face to stop any more noise as her cheeks turned pink, before she buried her face in the neck of the dark-haired man beside her.

"I can't even think about it without laughing," she said her voice muffled buy Emilio's collar.

"Gnomes?" Olivia questioned with a smirk.

Manny returned the smirk, "Oh-ho, this one's good. So, a long time ago, our ancestors were passing through a small village…"

Near the end of the story almost everyone was chuckling or laughing. Creek gave a small smile.

"...So there was our ancestor, naked, covered in mud and grass, cuts all over—some in not very nice places—standing at the old woman's door with the stick he had used to beat back the gnomes.

"Seeing him like that, the old woman thought he had gone crazy and was going to attack her, so she slams the door in his face just as the last gnome bites him on the ass…" he pauses for theatrical effect and to let the laughter quiet down before finishing, "When he's done with the gnome, the woman won't even let him in to collect the payment for getting rid of them, and he has to walk home in the dark. Of course, his wife thinks the worst when she sees him. He then spends the rest of the night trying to explain that he was fighting an army of little creatures who had torn off his clothes and drug him through the rosebushes, and not having wild sex in the forest."

A raucous of laughter went up again. Winnie could even feel the vibrations of Emilio's amused chuckle from where she was pressed against his side.

Things quickly wound down after the story and the others started excusing themselves one after the other.

Creek and Manny headed back inside with the leftover food, while Bobo and Winnie moved the table and chairs back into storage. Emilio smothered the fire before using the handle on the fire pit to move it to the side in front of Winnie's trailer, and then let the cooler drain out. When the redhead woman and brunette man got back from the shop all three of them started carrying the drinks in by the arm loads.

Winnie sighed as she closed the door to the fully stocked fridge. "Thanks for all the help today, Bobo, and feel free to take some of this home with you."

"No problem, it was a lot of fun," he told her with a kind smile, "I'll let you hold on to the food though, but maybe I'll stop by for lunch tomorrow." Then the man left.

Emilio came up behind her and wrapped his arms around the psychic's waist before gently dropping his chin to rest on her shoulder. The weretiger's natural earthy scent filled her nose as the warmth from his higher than normal(human) body heat wrapped around her.

He had taken his jacket off and rolled up his sleeves before helping clean up, letting Winnie placed one hand on his bare forearm as the other rose to gently brush across the weretiger's cheek. His stubble scratched her fingertips and she smiled affectionately.

"Have you ever had a beard?" she wondered.

"More frequently than you would think," he told her.

Winnie giggled softly and leaned her head against Emilio's shoulder. He shifted his face to press his nose against the skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder before breathing in her scent, eyes closing in contentment.

The feelings coming from the man behind her washed over her, making her breathe hitch. There was only one interpretation behind the emotions she was receiving. Winnie could only mouth the words, 'I love you too,' afraid to speak out loud, knowing she would mean what she said and neither she nor Emilio were ready to hear them.

"It was a nice thing you did tonight," he commented, "Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, I even saw Creek smiling." She shifted her hands to thread their fingers together, and he briefly gave her waist a gently squeeze.

"Good. It started out as a way to keep my mind off of things, but I think we all needed time to unwind. I keep getting the feeling that something bad is coming," turning in Emilio's arms to look him in the face she finished quietly, "and it's just the beginning."

Then the redhead pushed away with a mirthlessly chuckle as she raised both hands to rub harshly at her temples. "Would you listen to me, I'm such a bad omen. I don't know why you even like me with all the doom-and-gloom I keep spouting. If it's not vague visions, it's bad vibes. I mean, it's frustrating me, so it must be annoying the hell out of you."

"You are not a bad omen," he said taking her hands before gently kissed the abused skin. "Your gifts provide forewarning, they're invaluable. And I find you too delightfully quirky to be frustrating."

Winnie laughed and seemed to light up with a beatific smile. "And you are a charmer," she teased lightly, "Who knew?"

"Not many," Emilio admitted, "I find it difficult to open up to people, only after coming to Midnight was I able to. With you it is easier."

She forewent a verbal response, instead crashing their lips together passionately, an action the man was quick to reciprocate. The kiss deepened, and for a long moment they were swept up in the feel and taste of each other.

Only when her lungs burned with a need for air, did Winnie pull away. She was a little breathless as she spoke, "I'm a lucky girl."

"I'm the lucky one," Emilio replied his voice husky, before drawing her back into another kiss, gentler this time but equally passionate.

* * *

Sunlight streamed in through the RV windows. Winnie let out a groan as one unrelenting beam hit her in the eyes. Caught in the haze between sensible and insensible, she didn't want to wake up, hoping she could continue to dream and avoid whatever baddie was setting off her psychic radar.

"How many times have I told you? Avoiding something, doesn't mean it will magically disappear, so you might as well get up, Honey."

"Grandma, you need exercise," the redhead mumbled as she turned over and tried to go back to sleep.

Xylda cackled uproariously before speaking again, "I think you mean, exorcise, which still doesn't make much sense. Get up and get that brain in gear, girl!"

She groaned as she sat up and her grandmother snickered at her passable impression of a zombie.

After making her way from the RV into the house for a shower, Winnie finally started to come around. She was dressed and leaving the bathroom after finishing up her after shower routine when she almost bumped into Creek.

The words, 'I Don't Run And If You Ever See Me Running You Should Run Too Because Something Is Probably Chasing Me', were printed in bold black across the neon pink shirt Creek was suddenly staring at.

"Sorry," the brunette said.

Winnie shook her head dismissively, "No, it's my bad. I'm feeling a little out of it this morning. How about you? Feeling any better?"

"I'm fine," Creek said trying to smile but it was gone too quickly.

Winnie pursed her lips and raised a brow. "You don't have to lie to me, Creek," her tone became even gentler, "I'm an empath. I know exactly how you're feeling, so when I ask, it's more courtesy than curiosity. You can be honest with me."

"You were right, my life is turned upside down," she replied tears shining in her eyes but not falling, "and I don't know what to do. I just want to do something other than wallow. I need to get out of the house for a while."

"That's reasonable," Winnie nodded, "Just one more word of advice, and I know you really don't want to hear it but…don't push yourself too hard," she finished and suddenly pulled the other girl into a hug which Creek returned eagerly.

They clung to each other for a moment until the sharp spike of pain began to ebb away. Creek pulled back and whipped her eyes while Winnie did the same.

"Thanks," the brunette whispered before they shared small smiles and the redhead quietly left.

* * *

At the restaurant where Winnie would be meeting Emilio for breakfast, the redhead was a little surprised to see Fiji in the Midnighters' room. The dark-haired woman seemed to be working on something and had a bunch of materials spread out on the table in front of her.

Winnie stopped at the bar to get some coffee and place her order. The waiter filling the cup chortled at the size of her 32oz mug.

"Do you think it's big enough?"

"Ask me after my second cup," Winnie replied as she walked away, and added under her breath, "I'll need it today."

The psychic entered the back room and took a seat a few chairs away from the witch. They enjoyed the companionable silence that feel over them.

It was a little while later, that the psychic started to hum to herself, and then she began to sing quietly, her voice low. The words to the song came easily and she made it through "Cups" twice before she felt a warm hand fall on her shoulder.

"That sounded lovely," Emilio complemented as he placed a kiss on her temple, and then took the seat beside Winnie.

She blushed. Somewhere between sitting down and starting to sing she had forgotten there were others in the restaurant.

"Thanks. I croon along with the radio ever once and awhile and Manny even joins in when he feels like it. We haven't managed to make each other's ears bleed yet, always a good thing," she admitted jokingly, but her smile was absent its' usual brightness.

"It seems the members of your family have a variety of talents," he said in his reserved, amused way.

Wincing, the redhead looked at his guiltily. "You're referring to the watch aren't you? Which technically doesn't count as stealing," she saw his expression and tried again, "Okay, I did steal it, but with no intention of keeping it! I would have giving it back," Winnie stated honestly before finishing quietly, "As soon as the lesson was learned."

The dark-haired man chuckled before replying, "I'm sure you would have."

"Here you go," the waiter said as he placed their plates on the table. He eyed Winnie's empty cup with surprise, "Still need that re-fill?"

"Trust me," she said staring him in the face, "I'm going to need the caffeine, and for the same reason you should consider taking the day off."

The waiter backed away slowly, an almost startled look on his face. "I'll be right back with the coffee."

She turned back to her plate and sighed. Emilio clasped her hand in his, and began gently rubbing circles into her skin with his thumb.

"I wish I could help with what you're feeling," he told her quietly.

She gave a soft smile, "Just you being here helps a lot."

"Then know that I am here, and will continue to be as long as you want me to stay."

She leaned over resting her head against his shoulder and squeezing his hand as she silently questioned if forever would be too long.

A few minutes later the waiter returned with a carafe full of steaming coffee. When the sever left, the room stayed quiet only the clinking of silverware and the shuffling of materials on Fiji's side of the table could be heard.

They were done eating and Emilio was up stretching his legs, when Creek entered and began speaking to Madonna. The older woman was equal parts happy and concerned to see the younger.

"She's pulling away," Winnie observed as the younger girl walked away, speaking so only the weretiger could hear her, "we'll need to keep an eye on her."

Madonna approached the Midnighters in the back room.

"She's back so soon?" the reverend questioned the owner.

Winnie frowned. "She needs more time."

Shaking her head, Madonna answered, "She asked to come in. But I agree with you. It doesn't feel right."

"Sometimes it's good getting out of the house." Fiji piped up and the others turned to look at her, "Being out in the world could be a good distraction."

"This isn't out in the world. This is inventory," Modonna replied tersely. Then the dark-haired owner moved to take the dishes away and was gone.

Winnie sighed before nodding silently at the young witch beside them. "I'm going to get a glass of water I'll be back in a minute," she leaned in to kiss his cheek, "You got this, Tiger."

At the counter she turned around to see Emilio talking to Fiji. It was the same bar tender as before who brought her a glass of water and he spoke as he placed in down. "So, was your coffee mug big enough?"

She gave him a quizzical eyebrow raise.

"You told me to ask again after your second cup?"

The redhead snickered. "Not really," she replied, "It's just wiser not to drink coffee too late, or beer too early. I'm still suggesting you should take the day off."

They looked at each other and one corner of his mouth pulled down into a frown, "Naw, my shift ends in three hours, but thanks for the concern."

Picking up the glass, Winnie silently salutes him before taking a sip and heading to the back room.

Emilio had finished speaking with Fiji and was on his feet when Winnie joined them. "Are we ready to go?" the psychic asked cheerily.

"Go?" he quietly asked, "Is there something you have in mind?"

"Just a lazy stroll before you get too busy," she shrugged and held up the empty mug she was carrying, "We could drop my mug off at the house and keep going around the block."

"That sound like a good idea," he said setting his empty mug down on the table.

"Yeah, I get them every once and awhile," she joked back as they turned toward the door. Winnie took another gulp of water before placing it down on an empty table on their way out.

* * *

Outside, he took her hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow as they meandered down the sidewalk.

"I couldn't help noticing what you called me earlier," he told her.

"What, 'Tiger'?" she questioned, "Do you not like it?"

"Actually, I do," he replied with a smile, "More specifically, I like the way you say it. I just find it curious that you would be so blatant."

"Is that because you're assuming I have a problem with it?" she probed.

He didn't answer and she sighed. They had reached her house and Winnie saw the curtains in the RV windows were closed which usually meant her brother was inside talking to ghosts. Making up her mind, she tugged Emilio in the direction of the house.

"Come on, we both need to have this conversation."

Once they were inside the girl continued to drag the black clad man over to the couch and gently pushed him down onto the cushions before following him to straddle his thighs. Then she leaned her petite frame against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He returned the embrace by winding his arms around her waist.

"You could crush me," Winnie stated.

"I would never hurt you," he quickly reassured.

"I know," she told him taking his face in her hands and smiling affectionately, "but you could, and that's what makes you so amazing. I know the tiger is a part of you, Emilio. You possess that pure power and animal instinct, not just during the full moon, but all the time." She placed a hand on his chest. "Every day you keep it at bay. You're so strong."

He cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. "You are just as strong," he told her. "I see the way your powers affect you and how you try to hide it. The headaches you take medication for when you thing no one is looking. The way you use caffeine to calm your nerves, or when you move slower and try not to flinch at loud sounds. But you're still optimistic, even when others find it hard to be, and when I'm around you everything is lighter."

Her heart swelled, she closed her eyes to hide the emotion behind her lashes as she surged forward to crash their lips together; pouring every ounce of feeling she had for Emilio into that kiss as he returned it with equal fervor. His taste on her tongue, scent in her nose, and warm hands caressing her made her moan softly into the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, both their eyes were shining with fondness. He rubbed the pad of his thumb across her cheek as she leaned into his touch.

"You are truly extraordinary and so beautiful," he whispered, placing a light kiss to her lips.

"So are you, inside and out," she responded. She smiled as she looked into his eyes. "Your eyes change color. Usually they're a deep and warm brown, but sometimes they turn gold."

A hint of worry flashed in his eyes, he knew that the color was a sign of the tiger.

She gave a quick shake of her head. "I'm not scared. You would never hurt me. That's what you said," she reminded him with a smile, "and I trust you."

"Unbelievable," he said. She gave him a confused frown and he chuckled, "Even as a reverend and a man who holds a fervent belief in the divine, I sometimes question if you are a dream."

"Well don't," she told him firmly, "I'm pretty sure this is karma. All the shit life's thrown at us—we deserve to be happy, especially you." She leaned her forehead against his and laughed, "I don't know if my crazy self is what's good for you, but I'd like to find out."

"Then we should finish our walk." He ran warm hands down her sides and took a firm gentle hold of her hips to ease her back. "The sooner we start our work today, the faster we'll be done."

"Smart man," she commented getting up and offering a hand to help him stand "Maybe later we can finish our conversation. I liked the direction it was heading." The smirk on the redhead's face was all mischief and lust.

* * *

Winnie helped gather the hymnals, and gave a smile as she handed then to Emilio.

"How do you do it?" she asked playfully.

He gave her a curious look, "Do what?"

"Be so amazing all the time," she answered, "It must be exhausting."

He chuckled softly and said with a smirk, "I don't know. Perhaps someone as incredible as you are, could tell me."

She giggled, and then gave him a one-armed hug as she snuggled into his side. "We're so sappy," Winnie remarked, "Think it will ever wear off?"

"I was actually contemplating writing you poetry," he teased and squeezed her lightly.

"Don't let me stop you," she replied with a laugh.

Suddenly, a sensation hit that chilled her to the bone and she shivered as her focus was suddenly drawn to the chapel entrance.

The weretiger instantly became aware of the redhead's change in mood. "What's wrong?"

"Something's here…," she whispered, "right outside."

His eyes went from the doors to Winnie and he gripped her shoulder's, forcing her to look him in the eyes as he spoke, "I'm sorry," and with that he easily grabbed her and threw the gypsy into the air, all the way to the rafters.

It was so sudden that she almost screamed, but instead her jaw tightened and she caught the nearest beam to pull herself up before her momentum could change. Emilio leaned back over to nonchalantly start sorting the books again. Winnie had just stabilized her balance and was tucked in the elbow of two ceiling beams, when the doors to the church burst open.

Emilio straightened to address the figure that walked into the building. Winnie could see the hints of worry and fear in his eyes, more than likely for her and not himself.

"Can I help you?" the reverend asked the woman in the long red trench coat.

"Oh, I'm counting on it padre," the woman said as she waltzed closer, "I'm looking for a man. I think he's hiding here in Midnight. Joseph. Blonde," She drew out the last word as she gestured toward her own hair and paused several feet away from the man.

"If I did know him, he would be a parishioner, and I could not disclose any information."

The look in the strange woman's eyes grew dark and she stalked a few steps closer, "You know, once a man of the cloth realizes who I am, they cooperate without much fuss."

Two beats later Emilio roared as he grabbed the pulpit behind him with one hand and launched it at the stranger. It shattered into pieces around the red-dressed woman but she was unaffected by the impact.

Swiping her nose absently the stranger spoke, "But there's always an exception."

Emilio's shock was visible and Winnie's eyes grew wide as the woman launched herself at the weretiger. The stranger grabbed the reverend and pushed him against the wall before placing a hand against his forehead, a light starting to glow from her palm.

"Where is he?" the scarlet robed woman demanded.

Emilio seemed incapable of saying anything as he began to slump down and finally fell to the floor.

"I was wrong about you," the stranger said as she pulled him to stand, "You're not a man of the cloth. Not human. Not animal. You're nothing."

She suddenly twisted and the reverend gave a surprised shout as he went spinning through the air to crash into the window frame spraying broken glass all around. When he landed on the floor, Emilio was unconscious. Winnie felt sick as she continued to hide, whoever the stranger was she was dangerous and the gypsy girl had no idea what they would do to stop her. Joe was in a lot of trouble.

Winnie jumped down once the woman had left and crouched beside Emilio. She swept some of the glass off his face and shook his shoulder, calling out as she tried to wake him.

"Come on, Emilio, you've got to wake up," she tried again but he wouldn't open his eyes.

"Shit," she cursed, rocking back on her heels and looking towards the now closed doors. Winnie was torn, she didn't want to leave the injured weretiger, but she had an angel to warm about an incredible strong and crazy woman who was looking for him.

Winnie turned back to Emilio, only finding some bleeding cuts but he was still breathing. "Please, be okay," she pleaded before forcing herself to leave and find Joe.

Emilio's first priority had been her safety, so she would make sure to be careful. But, she also knew that the weretiger would want to keep the others safe.

* * *

Winnie was outside and about to cross the street when Manny caught her by the arm and dragged her towards their place.

"What's up with the Matrix reject?" he asked as they walked.

"She's looking for Joe," Winnie explained, "She came into the church asking where she could find him. Emilio tried to fight her but she did something weird, light came out of her hand, and then she threw him across the church. He's unconscious and won't wake up."

"I called Joe when I saw her heading to the shop. He should have made it out in time," he informed her as they reached their house.

Watching through the windows, the siblings saw the stranger leave the tattoo shop.

"She's heading to the Gas & Go," Manny told Joe over the phone, Winnie was pressed against his side watching the street and heard Joe's reply.

 _"Get over to Olivia's as soon as you can, and whatever you do, avoid Bowie."_

"What if I don't? Eternal damnation?" the male psychic questioned.

 _"Angels can read minds, so she'd use what I just told you to find and kill Chuy and me."_

Manny nodded even though Joe wasn't in the room, "Well, in that case, I'll try to avoid her. Should we tell Creek? Madonna?"

 _"No. Angels guard humans. She won't harm them. The less they know, the better."_

"And what about supernaturals?" he quickly asked.

 _"Oh, she hates supernaturals."_

"I'll be there when I can," Manny stated but before he could hang up Winnie grabbed his wrist and pulled the phone so she could speak into the microphone.

"Joe, you tell your husband that I'm upset he didn't call but glad he's back, and stay safe," she told him.

" _I will, Winnie_ ," was the angels reply, and then the line went silent.

* * *

The twins left the house and quickly headed to the pawn shop, only for them to simultaneously turn around and head back the way they came when they spotted the female angel.

They got into the RV and Winnie turned around to face Manny.

"Grandma?" Manny called as he turned trying to spot the ghost, "Where the hell are you?"

"What?" Xylda asked as she appeared between them.

Manny turned back around. "Grandma, I need your help. And uh, I truly hate that I'm about to ask this," he told her.

She gave him a puzzled look and he quickly explained his plan. Once their grandmother had possessed Manny's body and covered his milky eyes. They took up their positions. Winnie at the table and Manny waiting to answer the door, not surprised when there was a knock.

"Why'd you hide?" the strange angel asked the medium when he answered the door.

"I didn't. I was going for a walk, decided against it."

"Joseph Strong. You know him?"

"Not well. Seems nice. But I just moved here," the possessed man said.

The angel barged her way inside as she spoke, "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Sure. Come on in." Manny said as he closed the door.

The angel took in the RV and saw Winnie at the table clutching her stone pendant as she chanted under her breath, eyes also hidden by dark shades.

Bowie picked up Creek's locket off the table to examine before asking, "What, are you a fortune teller?"

"I prefer medium. Psychic. Even the Great Bernardo," he replied with a scoff. "And you are?"

"Looking for Joseph Strong," she told him as she continued to look around, "And I'm getting impatient." Then she lifted a hand and did the same thing to the male psychic that she had done to the reverend.

Winnie struggled not to react. She wished she could pluck the angel like a Christmas goose. And with the power suddenly surging through her, she might have a decent shot.

"Ugh!" the angel exclaimed as she pulled away, "Ugh, what's wrong with you?"

Manny stood straight. "I don't know what you mean."

"Your head."

Manny started to talk, "I take pills. Sometimes—actually, no, a lot of times, I—uh—hear voices, see things, some of which turns out aren't really there. I can't always tell what's real and what's not. Now is one of those times."

The angel grabbed him under the chin and thumped his head against the roof. "It's real," she told him before looking over at the girl in the booth, "What about her?"

"My sister," Manny said, a drop of worry seeping into his voice, "She's worse than I am. She talks back to the voices. Doesn't always hear people."

The angel grunted and went to leave, "Oh, I hate this town," she remarked before she was gone.

Xylda's spirit left Manny's body and there was an awkward silence for a moment. Both siblings removed their glasses and looked at the ghost.

"Well, at least it worked." Xylda commented.

Winnie scoffed and got out from the seat at the table.

Manny sounded uncomfortable as he responded, "I'm gonna go, and I'm gonna try to forget that ever happened."

* * *

The twins quickly left the RV after that and headed to the apartment above the pawn shop. When Manny knocked on the door, Olivia was quick to unlock and open it.

"Sorry I'm late," the brunette said as they entered. He found Joe waiting for them and informed the artist, "She came to my RV."

"She didn't get in your head?" he questioned.

"She did," Manny told him, "but my grandma was already in there."

Everyone gave him confused looks so he went on, "She couldn't read much. It was too crowded, too confusing."

"As is this," Fiji said.

"The Rev still isn't picking up, and I'm done waiting," Lemuel said as he gave Joe a pointed look.

Winnie bit her lip as her eyes teared up remembering that she had left Emilio in the church.

Joe sighed and gave the others some distance before he responded, "Chuy and I need your help. There's an angel named Bowie in Midnight, and she's hunting me."

"An angel? We're scared of an angel?" Olivia questioned disbelievingly a sarcastic smile on her lips.

"Well, angels not only protect humans, they also kill demons," Joe said, "Bowie only liked the killing part of the job."

Bob was the next to voice a question to the blonde male, "You know her?"

"Yeah, she's a mentor and a friend. I walked away from that life without a word and I'm sure she's still angry and hurt and..." Joe licked his lips, "wants me dead."

"So, she's made because you left?" Manny wondered.

"Leaving the fold, being fallen," Joe began to say as he started to make his way to Chuy on the other side of the room, "she might've forgiven that. But it's who I fell in love with she can't forgive."

That's when it clicked for Winnie as she asked herself, who could an angel hate more than a fallen angel? The answer was so clear when the gypsy girl took into account Chuy was also being affected by the veil.

"Oh. A man?" Fiji questioned the angel.

Joe and Chuy let out humorless chuckles before the former went on, "No, not a man. Um…" Joe hesitated looking at Chuy who nodded, and Winnie heard the words that she had been thinking, "A demon."

"I'd like a little bit more of an explanation," Lem said from his place in front of the bookshelf.

Joe nodded in silent response. The others shifted around the room.

Fiji got up and headed to the back, placing herself farther away from Joe and Chuy, while Bobo moved to sit down directly between the male couple and witch. Olivia moved to stand in front of the couch beside the pawn shop owner, and Manny moved to the side where he leant against the door frame leading into the bedroom. Winnie noticed how everyone subconsciously selected their places based on how they felt about Chuy's newly revealed status as a demon.

Winnie stood across the group from Manny, the closest to Chuy, and wrapped her arms around herself, mentally fighting back the emotional bombardment.

"The first time I saw him was in this marketplace," Joe began, looking at his husband as he spoke, "haggling with some pretty sketchy guys."

"Silk Road traders," Chuy elaborated, "I wanted this porcelain. They asked for more than I had, so I left."

"And I followed. Saw the traders beating the crap out of him," he said glancing at the rest of the room. "So, I showed a little wing and scared them off. I went to help Chuy up and…saw that he was covered in black blood."

"Demon blood," Lem clarified.

Joe continued, eyes only occasionally leaving Chuy's to glance at the others, "They not only beat him—they also stole his sandals. I asked him why didn't he just tear them apart, and he said maybe they needed the sandals more than he did. And that changed everything. Bowie told us we were superior, that demons were evil, and angels killing demons was doing a service—Chuy disproved all of it."

"I still can't get over it," Bobo spoke up, "You're a demon?"

Chuy sighed and gave a half shrug, "Half-demon, My mom was human," he told them with a small smile at the mention of his mother.

"Parents were another forbidden love?" Fiji asked.

"It wasn't love," Chuy stated and both he and Joe looked to the ground at that moment. "My mom and I were close. She taught me to control my demonic side. She said that our connection would keep me strong. Now I have this connection to keep me strong," he finished taking ahold of Joe's arm.

"Yeah, but you should've told us," Fiji said her voice sounding condemning with a spark of betrayal. She had come to stand in front of Lem.

Olivia, who had taken a seat, glanced over her shoulder to the brunette woman. "They're telling us now," she stated looking at the couple.

"Yeah, now there's an angry angel in Midnight," was Lem's caustic reply, "They're immortal. Fiji's right. This shouldn't be the first time we're hearing about this."

Manny spoke up, "Look, Joe saved Creek. I'm willing to return the favor. So, angels—how do we deal with them?"

"Well, they're tough," the blonde male stated, "Angels can read you mind, use your secrets against you."

"Great. And, uh, immortal," Manny said.

Joe corrected him, "No. Almost immortal. Humans can't kill an angel, and I'm not tough enough to take on an angel like Bowie."

"But demons can, right?" Fiji asked reading between the lines.

Chuy took a deep breath and Joe became even more worried, like the thought was scarier than the real threat Bowie posed. "Oh, that—that is not an option. Last time he changed, it took three years to get him back. If Chuy turns, we're all in danger."

"I can't," Chuy told them, "I'm sorry."

"Okay, if we can't kill her maybe we can send her somewhere else, where there are demons who can take care of her," Manny began, used to thinking fast during a high risk situation. He turned to Fiji and went around the couch to stand on the witches other side as they talked. "The exorcism at my house—the mirror acted as a portal."

"And we saw over to the other side of the veil," she finished.

"What if we created a portal and trapped her on the other side of the veil?"

"Are you suggesting we send an angel to hell?" Bobo asked skeptically.

The male psychic looked over to the blonde angel. "Will that work?"

"I think it just might," but the angel's face showed a lack of confidence in the plan.

"Then we should get started," Fiji spoke up.

Manny glanced at his sister, "Winnie?" their eyes meeting was the only acknowledgement the redhead was listening, "You alright?"

She looked down at the floor before speaking, "I would be if I didn't feel so guilty."

"I'm sure he's fine—" he started to say but she cut him off with a sharp look and cutting words.

"Don't patronize me, Manny. He protected me, and I left him there unconscious and alone."

"Because you had to warn Joe," he defended.

"Left who?" Olivia questioned.

"The Rev," Manny said quietly.

Winnie continued, "He and I were in the church when Bowie showed up. She went there first, trying to get information on where Joe was. Emilio wouldn't tell her anything. She attacked him and threw him into the wall."

"Did she hurt you?" Chuy asked worriedly.

The girl shook her head. "He helped me hide before she came in," her mind played out what happened and she paused to swallow a lump in her throat. "When she was gone I left to tell Joe and Manny found me."

Chuy brought her into a hug and she felt like she was seconds away from crying. "Thank you," the half-demon told the psychic, "Thank you for protecting us, and I'm so sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Winnie told him squeezing him back. "Bowie is going to be sorry she ever stepped foot in Midnight and threatened my friends. We'll make sure of it."

"Damn straight," Olivia said.

"Sounds like we have work to do," Lem stated and everyone nodded splitting up to get ready to send an angel to hell.

* * *

When she was done helping Fiji clear out a spot in the pawnshop to work, Winnie watched Joe and Bobo bring in a standing mirror.

"So Bowie—she can read everything inside your head?" Bobo asked as they sat the mirror down.

"All angels can," Joe informed him with a nod.

Fiji whipped around, "Wait—you can read our thoughts?"

The angel tried to reassure the witch. "Only if I choose to, which I don't. I won't abuse that power. I haven't used it in centuries. But Bowie—she won't hesitate to use what she reads to get her way...or humiliate you."

"Sounds like a lovely person," the witched replied.

"More like a demon," Winnie observed before informing them, "I'm going to see if Manny needs me."

"If you'll excuse me," Joe said to the witch and brunette man as he followed the gypsy into another part of the story.

"These relics are useless," Winnie lamented as she went through the collection of family relics Manny had sold to Bobo not long ago. Manny picked up the severed finger and Winnie rolled her eyes.

Joe walked up to the twins asking, "Is that a, uh—"

"Finger. Yeah," the male psychic said, "Belonged to an ancient relative of mine, Uncle Roland. Legend is he pushed a demon back to hell with it. Soon as he touched the demon, his finger fell off."

"You certainly have a colorful past," the angel said.

"I used to think they were just stories my grandma made up," the brunette remarked his tone turning sarcastic, "The Great Bernardo Clan and the evil they battled."

Winnie smiled weakly and bumped shoulders with her brother who responded with a soft nudge back.

Joe spoke his next words hesitantly, "You ever think it's not a coincidence you're here in Midnight right as the veil frays?"

"It's a coincidence or really bad luck."

"I think it's something else," Joe remarked with a knowing look.

Winnie narrowed her eyes, she knew that look. "What it is Joe? You have the classic 'I know something you don't' face."

"There's a prophecy," he explained to the siblings. "It says—When the veil starts to tear, a hero will rise. He will lead an army to fight the evil that emerges and seal the veil forever."

"Wow, we should call this person," Manny tells him.

"A man with the gift of vision, who can bridge the worlds between the living and the dead," Joe finished and looked at the brunette meaningfully.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Joe rose and lowered his brows in a facial shrug and nodded at Manny.

The medium scoffed, "You're joking."

"All the signs point to you," says the angel, "meaning now you are leading the move against Bowie."

"It's—It's a pretty big leap from one plan to stopping the apocalypse," Manny said incredulously. He circled around the blonde, physically retreating from the conversation but stopping when Joe spoke up.

"Well, I believe it's you."

The brunette faced the angel. "Then you're insane."

It was after that statement that the brunette's phone rang, and he was quick to answer. "Creek, you okay?"

The reply must have been bad, as Winnie suddenly watched her brother's face turn worried. He glanced at Joe before putting the phone on speaker.

"She's sad," a female voice they all recognized as Bowie said over the phone. "Oh, yeah, just a tad depressed. Where's Joseph?"

Winnie was suddenly hit with a vision; _two winged bodies, not birds, fought in the air. Crashing, punching, kicking and pews being tossed around. Then there was snarling, blood and a burst of light._ She was back and shook her head almost losing her balance from the split second of disorientation.

"I don't know," Manny said.

"You have thirty minutes to find out, and then I'm gonna start killing people."

"I-I thought angels didn't hurt humans," he stated eyes on Joe as if questioning the male angel in front of him and not the female on the phone.

"Yeah, not normally, but today has been a very frustrating day," said the angel before the voice changed and they heard Creek.

"I love you," the waitress stated her voice sounding strained.

Manny's eyes went to the phone and he spoke quickly, "Creek, you're gonna be all right."

"It's gonna be her body I toss out first," Bowie stated and they could hear laughter before she shouted, "Bring Joseph!"

The line went dead and Manny's eyes went to the two standing with him.

"What do you want me to do?" The angel asked openly, ready to agree to whatever plan the psychic came up with.

"I want you to surrender," the brunette told him with a nod.

"We need to get her away from the hostages and the best way to do that is to lure her out," Winnie explained and Manny nodded as she figured out his plan.

The male sibling finished, "And we set up an ambush, so that when she comes out we can throw her through the portal."

'Except the mirror obviously doesn't work, if Joe and Bowie end up fighting,' Winnie thinks as she remembers her vision.

"It's a little scary how fast you two came up with that plan," admitted the angel.

The twins smirk at each other before Manny speaks, "We need to tell the others."

Winnie looks at him with worried eyes. "I can't stop thinking about Emilio."

Her brother gives her an understanding look, before he sighs and says, "Okay, I know I couldn't stop you if I tried, just be careful."

* * *

Winnie took the alley to the street, crossed, and avoided the streetlight as she crossed Witch Light Road on the other side of the church near the playground equipment. Her heart sank to the soles of her feet when she looked through the broken window and didn't find the reverend.

"Where'd you go, Emilio?" She quietly asked the air, as panic rose in her chest.

Creeping around the corner of the church and behind the pet cemetery the gypsy peeked through the windows of Home Cookin'. Finding the group of people inside, Winnie's panic was drowned out by anger when she spotted Emilio. She stomped on her building negative emotions with the firm will she had gained over her lifetime as an empath.

Once she was calm, the redhead went back the way she had come. Calling her brother, she warned, "You might want to open the door before I get there."

She hung up and was only a few feet away when the door swung wide, Manny standing clear as he held it open.

Finally safe to loosen the control on her emotions, Winnie seethed and her jaw clenched. The others stared at her as she stood in the middle of the room, every muscle tensed.

Manny was the first one to ask, "What happened?"

"That birdbrained bimbo has Emilio," his sister replied, voice deceptively calm. She folded her arms, squeezing her own body hard, the leather of her riding jacket groaning under the strain.

"Breath, Winnie," the brunette psychic cajoled as he stepped into her space. They had done this routine before. Winnie's empathy was dangerous when her control of her emotions became compromised.

Manny made sure that Winnie's focus was on him and his voice was calm. "Arms above your head-don't grab your hair," he told her, and waited for his sister to follow his instructions, only continuing when she finally complied, "and take deep breaths."

It took them a minute of breathing in sync before Winnie appeared to calm down. "How do you feel?" The brunette asked his sibling.

"Like I could pluck out that bitch's feathers one-by-one and turn her ass into a pincushion," she hissed with narrowed eyes.

"Now there's an image," Olivia commented.

"And a side of Winifred we haven't seen yet," Lemuel noted dryly.

"Okay, one more time. In," he held it for seven beats before releasing, "and out. Better?"

Winnie let out a sigh and sagged. Her brother caught her by the shoulders and kept her on her feet.

"We're setting up at Fiji's place, right?" The redhead suddenly asked her brother.

Manny nodded. "Right. Joe's going to stand in the street and draw her out. Lem will be in the restaurant parking lot, ready to push her into the portal once Fiji gets it open. The rest of us will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly."

She sighed and pulled away, giving a nod before she spoke, "Sounds like a good plan, but you know what they say about mice and men. Do we have a plan B?"

"Not really," he admitted and then turned to the others, "Hey, Fiji, are you done getting the mirror ready?"

"Yeah, for now, all that's left is opening the portal," she explained.

"Alright, then it's time to go," the medium said as he made to leave through the back and into the alley.

Winnie followed a step behind her brother and came up beside him when they were out of the building. She whispers to make sure the others don't hear, "Bad news, I got a vision earlier and it doesn't look like your plan works. You need to start thinking of a plan B. I'm going to sneak through the back and cover the hostages after Bowie leaves, just in case."

He huffed a dry laugh. "Great, your vision didn't happen to show you how we make it out of this alive, did it?"

"No," she informed him solemnly, "Nothing that helpful, it looked like a fight and the last thing I saw was a bright flash of light."

The brunette nodded his consent, "Go, and stay safe."

With a nod the brunette branched off to take the same route as before to the back of the restaurant.

Just before she was out of ear shot she could hear Chuy ask, "What is she doing?"

Manny simply responded, "She's Plan B."

Hearing those words had the half-demon simultaneously worried and relieved.

* * *

It felt like hours before everyone was ready and in position. Winnie watched through the window as the angel threatened to snap Emilio's neck. The vice grip that suddenly stopped her heart only lessened when the insane angel let go of the black-clad man.

Seconds after threatening the weretiger, the angel left, but it was little relief as Bowie dragged Creek with her. Winnie was quick to slip inside and made her way to Emilio first.

"Just tell me you're okay," the gypsy said as she crouched by his side, her tone more a plea than a question.

"I'm fine," he said though his words were strained enough for the redhead to tell he was in pain, "What's going on out there?"

"Joe's bait. Apparently only a demon can kill an angel. Chuy's half demon but he can't control his transformation, so they're going to try and send her through a portal into Hell," she said quickly.

His brow furrowed as he said, "You say 'try' as if you know it won't work."

The psychic shook her head slightly as she replied, "The portal doesn't work but that's all I know."

"Then I need to help them," he stated.

When the weretiger went to get up, the redhead gently pressed him back into the chair. "You need to stay right where you're at," she told him, "If you're that worried, I'll go, but you are in no condition to fight her again."

"No!" He whisper-shouted, gripped the hand she had placed on his forearm in a firm but comfortable hold.

She smiled wearily and placed her free hand against his cheek. "We can't both get what we want," she said quietly, "You'll have to compromise."

"Stay," he responded softly, "Watch from in here, and if it looks like they need help you can go."

"Alright," she agreed with a nod and kissed his uninjured temple. "Madonna," she spoke aloud drawing the older woman's attention, "can you take a look at his forehead."

"Sure," the dark woman replied, "I'll look after him."

"Thanks," she said as she made her way to the door to keep an eye on the others.

Her timing couldn't have been better, Winnie was just in time to see Bowie destroy the mirror and read her brother's mind. The redhead glared when the angel dragged him into the road.

Everyone was circled around and watching. Fiji followed behind the angel and psychic, stopping on the sidewalk behind them. Lem was standing under the streetlight in front of the church, while Joe seemed to disappear.

Olivia, Creek and Bobo stood on the restaurant's porch not far from where Winnie stood and the gypsy girl heard as the angel spoke to the waitress.

"Hey, Creek, come meet your superhero." Bowie chuckled, "Oh, yeah, she knows the truth about you."

"Please don't," Creek begged in a small voice as she fervently shook her head, but the angel payed no heed to the girls wishes.

The waitress turned her head away when Bowie continued. "You're a scam artist. I mean, yeah, you see ghosts but how are you helpful? You're not!"

Winnie had enough and raised her hand to the stone around her neck. A name slipped past her lips like the whisper of a breeze and the stone in her palm pulsed.

Bowie raised an accusing finger to point at Creek, "Oh, and your girlfriend? Oh, she's pissed. I mean, what is the point of screwing the town psychic if he's not even gonna give you a heads up that you're living with a serial killer? You failed—" Bowie was suddenly cut off by a tremendous roar as a hulking figure appeared behind the brunette psychic. Rage filled black eyes smoldering above a sharp toothed maw and for a moment the angel knew fear.

A split second later, Joe flew into Bowie and sent her sailing down the street and into the darkness, and the figure behind Manny was gone as instantly as it had appeared no one able to say what it had been. The male angel paused only a moment before advancing toward his former mentor and they clashed in the air. The angels wrestled before plummeting back to the ground and through the roof of the church.

Everyone outside the church could hear the two warriors battling it out inside. When Joe was thrown out and rolled across the ground, everyone gathered closer but none of them knew what to do.

"Ever see an angel die?" Bowie asked them with a smile, the look in her eyes was half crazed, "It really is something," she finished before kneeling over Joe with a raised hand alight with angelic power, ready to smite the male.

A growling snarl rolled through the air catching both angels attention, and they looked to the source of the noise.

"Chuy, no!" Joe called to the transformed figure of the half-demon who stood behind the group.

The half-demon ran toward the red-clad angel with a roar, and the group split trying to get out of the way. Barreled into Bowie, they fell to the ground, the demon pinning the angel.

"Get off me!" Bowie screamed as she fought to throw him off.

The others scattered, aware that Chuy was no longer in control of his demon half. Winnie finally moved from the door of the restaurant, circling close to the pet cemetery as she made her way toward the church.

Blood gushed and splattered as the half-demon tore out the angel's throat and then there was a bright flash of light like a firework. It was far from over though, as the half-demon snarled, head thrown back in triumph as it revealed in the bloodshed.

When the transformed figure of the man he loved turned around, Joe was quick to try and calm him, "She's gone now. Bowie's gone."

The only response was a threatening growl.

"It's time for you to come back to me," Joe said.

The half-demon threw the angel to the side as he ran to the vampire farther away in the middle of the street. Both supernaturals growled at each other as Lem caught the other by the shoulders.

The redhead gypsy helped the angel to his feet and told him, "You've got to keep trying! Come on."

When Lem was unable to stop the half-demon and was down, Manny threw the relic he had been carrying, which only ended up making him the new target and he ran toward the playground trying to escape.

The half-demon found the psychic and threw the man to the ground before continuing after him but was stopped when a shadow seemingly reached out and hit it in the chest, knocking it back.

Winnie pulled on the back of her brother's jacket dragging him away from his attacker and he scrambled to his feet.

Joe came up behind Chuy and pulled him away from the psychic before pinning him against the merry-go-round, angelic light coming from his hand. "I will kill you. Please don't make me have to," the angel begged the snarling half-demon, "It would destroy me. You said our connection would keep you strong. Please!"

The siblings watched, silently, as Chuy slowly changed back before clinging to Joe and sobbing, the angel holding his husband close.

Allowing them a few minutes, Winnie came close when Chuy started to quiet. She placed a hand on Joe's shoulder and tilted her head toward the restaurant when he looked to her. "We should get cleaned up," she stated, smiling brightly when Chuy turned, "Thanks. You really saved our butts—that airhead was psycho—but next time you have a bad hair day, try not to get so grouchy."

Her joking tone startled a laugh out of the dark-haired male.

Manny wrapped an arm around his sister and gave her a half hug as he grinned at the other two men. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Inside the restaurant the atmosphere was subdued. Olivia and Lem sat at one table, while Joe and Chuy sat at the table beside them. Winnie had helped Emilio to a table close to the others, before pulling up a chair beside him and took a better look at the gash on his forehead.

"It seems like, every time we turn around, there's another baddie walking into town," Winnie commented as she started to clean his wound. "The church is a mess, and the roof has a whole the size of two angels. You've definitely got your work cut out for you," she told him before backpedaling, "I mean, once you're up to the job."

"I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed," he assured her, "and I'll heal soon." When she placed her left palm against his cheek he turned his head to press a gentle kiss against her pulse.

"I was terrified when you wouldn't wake up. I didn't know what to do," she admitted in a whisper, "I knew I needed to warn Joe, but I left you. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. You did the right thing, and I'm very proud of you," he said as his eyes glanced at the male couple, "Protecting them was the best thing you could have done at the time."

The redhead gently ran her thumb across the weretiger's cheek as she dabbed at the dried blood with the alcohol swab in her other hand. She had just opened her mouth to speak again when Fiji came toward them a plastic bag of ice in hand.

The witch spoke as she knelt down and placed the ice to his side, "I really think you should go to the ER. Those ribs could be broken."

Bobo joined them, taking a seat one Emilio's right side.

"It's okay. Even if they are, they'll reset next full moon. The transformation can fix things," he explained.

Winnie furrowed her brow and ran a gentle finger along one of the scars on the weretiger's left cheek. He gave a half smile and his eyes silently begged her not to ask, so instead she leaned forward and placed a kiss on the scar.

The redheads attention was caught when she saw Joe and Chuy start to leave. Joe paused to speak to Manny and continued toward the door. Chuy stayed where he was and turned to face everyone.

"I am so sorry," the dark-haired male said, then he turned to leave with Joe.

The angel turned around coming nose to snout with a giant bear that seemed to take up the whole doorway.

"Woah!" Joe exclaimed as he jumped back shielding Chuy with his body as he guided them back.

The others rose out of their chairs and stumbled away, while Winnie put a hand on Emilio's shoulder to keep him in his seat.

The bear grunted as it's brown eyes started searching the room. When it spotted Winnie, the animal let out a grumble and came closer. Setting a heavy black paw on the floor that creaked beneath the wait.

"Easy, big guy," Manny cautioned as he stood and came closer.

Winnie rose from her chair too fast for Emilio to grab her hand and stop her from advancing toward the large animal.

"You're too big, buddy," she told the bear with a giggle as she placed a hand on the animal's giant nose and began massaging the dark-brown fur on the bridge of his snout, "Besides, I thought you were already asleep."

"Manny," Olivia hissed, "Where the hell did that bear come from?"

"Well," he began before taking a deep breath and applying the band-aid method of getting it over with quickly, "He's the Guardian Spirit of the Bernardo Clan."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bobo asked as he stepped around Fiji to place her behind him.

"It means that Zorba protects Manny and I," the redhead explained before giving a half-shrug, "Although, he was originally a Spirit Deity and not simply a Guardian."

Manny sighed and continued, "Story goes, he was born from the prayers of villagers that worshiped the god of the Mountains, who was believed to take on the form of a large bear. They worshiped bears for centuries until the villagers started blaming their god for the low birth rate and bad winters. They looked for ways to banish the god, and one day our ancestors came along and agreed to help. They made a bargain, in exchange for leaving the mountains, the spirit would get a new title as Guardian of the Bernardo Clan."

"He was just lonely," Winnie told them as she looked over her shoulder still petting the bears face, "People loved him for so long and then suddenly they hated him. He didn't understand, but was happy when our family agreed to take him in. Zorba left with our ancestors, his spirit housed inside a stone from the top of the mountain," she held up her pendant, "Sad to say, it was that same year the village was destroyed by a rock-slide, which was one of the things their god was supposed to protect them from."

The redhead held up the stone to the bears nose and said, "You should get some sleep, buddy. We'll hang out later."

The bear lifted his big paw and gently dragged her into the fur of his chest and nuzzled her head before pressing his nose against the stone and disappearing.

"You meant to tell me you've had that thing around your neck this whole time?" Fiji asked a note of worry in her voice, "That was the thing that just attacked the angel and Chuy. What if it had decided to attack one of us?"

Manny gave the witch a confused look and started to defend the spirit, "Zorba was only protecting me. All he did was scare Bowie and push Chuy away. He could have done worse. I've seen him shred steel beams like they were tin foil."

Winnie smiled sadly. "Man or beast, angel or demon," her eyes drifted around the room, "It shouldn't matter, you are who you chose to be and are defined by your actions. Good and Evil are the only distinctions that need to be made. My ancestors knew that and over the years I've learned it too."

"Wise words," Joe told her as he and Chuy stepped closer and pat her on the shoulder before announced, "I'm going to take Chuy home."

Olivia and Lem were the next to leave. Once Winnie retook her seat beside Emilio Fiji excused herself and headed home.

Bobo offered to take the Rev home, and Winnie volunteered to help get the injured man settled in for the night. Manny tagging along to lend a hand, helping Bobo get the weretiger home and then spending the night with his sister, who was going to stay there to watch over Emilio.

* * *

After sunrise, Manny was ready to leave and Emilio was able to convince Winnie to go with her brother, even if it was just to take a quick shower and grab a change of clothes.

When Manny stopped at Joe's, his sister continued on to their place, entering Winnie found Creek in the living room. Both women glanced at each other, nodded, and Winnie kept walking.

The redhead had just gotten dressed and was coming out of the bedroom when Manny returned. He held the door open for her and she looked at the other two people in the room hesitantly but nodded and left.

She was outside when Joe and Chuy exited their shop, neither man seemed to notice the girl as she watched them hurriedly get in Joe's truck and leave. Deciding she needed some place quiet. Winnie went to the church.

Inside, she sat down in one of the upright pews and took a deep breath. Thoughts and questions swam threw her head and she took the chance to short them, that is until she recieved a new vision.

 _She was standing in the middle of the town. A red moon casting a ruby glow. In front of her, his back to the redhead, was Manny and beyond him was a demonic horned figure staring down her brother, and to their right Joe stood in front of Fiji's fighting a group with a sword and every time he sliced one of the group they would turn into dust._

Winnie was suddenly back in the church and exhausted. Thinking that she should continue to give Manny and Creek privacy, the female psychic laid down on the wooden pew to rest for a little while, not knowing that when she woke up her brother and the RV would be gone.


	8. Last Temptation of Midnight

_Author note: Happy Halloween Everyone! Yay, we're at 8 of 10 now. Hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris._

Chapter 8 – Last Temptation of Midnight

 _Previously…_

 _…_ _Thinking that she should continue to give Manny and Creek privacy, the female psychic laid down on the wooden pew to rest for a little while, not knowing that when she woke up her brother and the RV would be gone._

Winnie woke up from her nap around an hour later, and it was already after noon. The nap had knocked off some of the exhaustion she had been feeling, but she was nowhere near 'rested', and her body ached from laying on the unyielding surface of the bench. Not to mention the lingering headache—turned migraine—that had become a constant and increasing pain since coming to Midnight.

She stretched out her sore shoulder and began to rub out the crick in her neck. When she felt moderately human again, Winnie stood and made her way back to the house.

She got to the corner of the shop beside her house and froze, the RV was gone.

At first, she tried to convince herself that it was nothing; Manny had just needed to go pick up something, but Winnie knew they didn't need anything right now. They still had plenty of left over pizza, which neither sibling had ever had a problem eating cold or reheated, so food was off the list for a few days. They were fully stocked in the rest of the house too. So, something else was going on.

Pulling out her phone, Winnie was about to call her brother, when a vision hit her already aching head like a bullet train.

 _"_ _Well, I'm not gonna lie to you, Manny. I'm disappointed," Xylda's ghost said from the passanger seat of the RV._

 _"_ _You're also dead," Manny shot back, "You don't get a vote."_

 _"_ _They're counting on you."_

 _"_ _Joe wants me to lead. Well, I'm leading…" he yanked off his shades and grabbed the pill bottle off of the dash, "by example, leaving that hell hole."_

 _"_ _What about Winnie, are you forgetting about your sister? And Creek?" Xylda tried, "How about her?"_

 _"_ _She doesn't want me there. She deserves better than…" he paused when the last pill fell into his hand, "Looks like I'm quitting," commented the medium as he threw the bottle behind him._

 _"_ _Now I'm worried," the ghost said sincerely._

 _He sighed, "I don't see ghosts every four seconds like in Midnight; it'll be fine."_

 _"_ _No, it won't be fine. You gotta go back. It's you destiny. Before I died, I got a vision. I should have told you, but I just kept chickening out. And then Joe beat me to it."_

 _"_ _So this whole, 'you'll be safe in Midnight', that was all a lie?" he asked, furious at the deception._

 _"_ _Had to get you there somehow."_

 _The look on his face was mostly- anger and partially-hurt. "You know, I really wish you weren't tethered to this RV so I could kick you dead ass out of it."_

Winnie came out of the vision to find her perspective lower to the ground. She had fallen on her butt at some point and was too shocked to care.

Manny was running, that was nothing new to the redhead, but this time he had left her behind. She didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry.

What had made him leave? Why leave her? And without a word.

The twins had always been together and suddenly they weren't. An unknown number of miles separated them now. Winnie felt like the rug had been pulled from under her.

Winnie didn't know how long she sat in a daze. Questions swirling around in her head with no answers. That is, no answers until Creek opened the door to the house and stepped out. The redhead's face went blank. Winnie wasn't clear on the 'what' or 'why', but she now knew the 'who' that had made her brother leave.

Unable to face the waitress, Winnie retrieved her phone from the ground as she got to her feet. Thankfully it had survived the fall without damage, unlike her palms. She must have subconsciously braced for the fall and scraped her hands on the ground.

Turning without a word, she walked away, her feet carrying her toward Fiji's house. She found Bobo on the porch to the shop/home.

"Hey," he said quietly as she approached, "what brings you here? If you're looking for Fiji, I think she's still asleep."

"I…" Winnie started but suddenly lost the words on the tip of her tongue, all she could do was thrust out her hands revealing her cut palms.

"Oh, what happened?" he asked in concern.

Shaking her head, she replied, "I got a really bad headache all of a sudden and I lost my balance."

"The door to Fiji's home opened and the dark-haired woman appeared, watching them. When the witch's eyes fell to the redhead's palms she winced and opened the door all the way.

"Come on in and let's get that cleaned up," Fiji invited.

Once they were in the kitchen, Fiji gently started whipping dirt off Winnie's hands as water ran over the injured skin.

"They don't look too deep. First, we need to wash out the dirt and then I have a paste we can use to help it heal. So, how did this happen?" asked the witch.

Winnie seemed like she hadn't heard the older woman so Bobo repeated what Winnie had told him.

"A headache?" Fiji inquired and just added, "I'll make some tea."

After cleaning out the dirt and applying the paste to the cuts, Fiji wrapped them with gauze. The dark-skinned woman told Winnie to take a seat in the sitting area. Bobo silently wandered back outside. Fiji came into the living room with a steaming cup of tea, and the psychic looked at her hands then back to the cup that was being handed to her.

Carefully curling the fingers of her right hand around the handle and using the fingertips of the other hand to support the rim of the mug, Winnie began to sip the brew and almost instantly the pain began to fade.

"How often do you get headaches this bad?"

Sighing, Winnie explained, "Almost non-stop lately, I get them when I'm sensing spirits or have a vision. Sometimes, I pick up on too much around me and it makes them worse. Splitting headaches are a byproduct of psychic powers, at least in my family."

"So, you're brother has them too?"

"Yeah," she said on a sigh.

The witch must have interpreted the tone of that reply as Winnie's reluctance to talk, because nothing was said until the redhead finished her tea.

"I'm going to check on Emilio. Thanks for everything," she added with a smile as she got up.

Fiji returned the smile with a small upturn at the corners of her mouth, "Come by later and I can put together some more tea for you to take home."

The thought of 'home' had the redheads smile wavering but she pushed it away to make her words more earnest as she replied, "Thank you."

Winnie left quickly after that. When she arrived at the reverend's place, the psychic found him asleep. Getting a glass of water, which she placed on the table beside the bed, the girl took a seat in the only chair in the room. It didn't take her long to doze off as she listened to the steady breathing of the man in the bed.

A little while later, she half woke up to the feeling of movement. There was a soft surface under her and she was surrounded by warmth and comfort, then she was asleep again.

Waking up beside the man she was in love with was new to Winnie, but in no way unpleasant. The sunlight slipping through the curtains was orange like embers, and the rays that fell across Emilio's bare torso turned his skin a fire-bronze.

Winnie was thankful that she had managed not to roll into his injured side while she slept. She reached over and smoothed back a lock of hair from his forehead.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked to her. They shared small lazy smiles until his eyes drifted over to the window and widened in shock.

"I didn't realize it had gotten this late," he told her, "I have to go."

Her brow furrowed as her sleep addled mind tried to work. Finally, she simply asked, "Why?"

"Tonight, is the full moon," was the short reply as Emilio gently levered his injured body out of the bed and readied to leave.

"Oh," she said as she moved to the edge of the bed and sat there to watch him. When he was almost done she sighed and stood up. Trying to hide how much the thought bothered her, Winnie said, "I guess I'll go home then."

He was suddenly in front of her and tucking a strand of hair behind one ear as he kissed her forehead, "Don't go. You seem extremely tired, stay here and rest."

"You're not wrong," she admitted with a small chuckle and added a quiet, "Thanks."

"I'll be back in the morning." And with that final statement the man was gone.

Winnie lowered herself down onto the mattress and could barely keep her eyes open. She settled and drifted off surrounded by the scent of the weretiger, a scent that had come to mean comfort to Winnie.

The next morning, Winnie woke up to the smell of coffee and with a quick glance to the clock beside the bed she realized she had slept later than usual. She shuffled her way into Emilio's kitchen. Everything about the place was made for a single person and the kitchen was no exception.

The black-clad man stood at the counter, a mug in front of him, as he watched the coffee brew. He spoke with a soft smile on his lips as he looked to the redhead, "I was going to wake you up after the coffee was done, but it looks like I was too slow."

He looked much better than the day before, though tired, since the cut on his forehead was gone and he was standing straight.

Winnie quietly stepped into his space and wrapped her arms around his torso from the side. The man returned the hug with one arm around her shoulders and a gently kiss to the crown of her head.

"It's fine," she said, "I needed the reason to get out of bed or I would probably still be there."

"That's unusual," he mentioned, "I know you're an early riser."

She sighed softly into his collar, where she had tucked her forehead against the warm skin of his neck. "Yeah, but then there are days when I just don't want to get out of bed. Do you think we can hit pause and try again tomorrow?"

"Are you not feeling well?" He probed.

"I've been better," she answered before finishing, "but I'm mostly trying to avoid going home."

He gave her a puzzled look. "Why?"

She let out a heavy sigh as she pulled way to look Emilio in the face. "Manny's gone...He ran, and now I'm not sure how to handle Creek being in the house."

Instead of using words to comfort the redhead, Emilio pulled her back and enveloped her in his arms. Winnie ducked her head and the weretiger rested his chin on the red curls on her crown.

The scent, warmth, and emotions coming from the black-clad man also seemed to wrap around the psychic's scenes and she fell even more. Though she still couldn't say those three little words to express how she felt, Winnie knew it was only a matter of time.

When the pot of coffee was finished it was time for lunch. Emilio and Winnie were seated in the back room of the restaurant waiting for their meals. She was drinking a glass of water and kept glancing over at her companion in concern. The effects of the veil were getting stronger, and with Emilio—a known vegetarian—ordering a steak, the gypsy girl was wondering how bad it would get before hell was unleashed on Midnight. Reaching over, she placed her hand over his and began to rub circled with her thumb.

Olivia walked in questioning dryly, "You hear about Manfred?"

"It's a shame. I thought more of him," the reverend replied.

Winnie sighed at the comment and then noticed a waitress come in. The couple simultaneously released their hands as their food was placed in front of them. Emilio's plate seemed to make an unusually loud thump when it hit the table.

Olivia looked at the steak that dominated the plate with only a sparse serving of steamed vegetables on the side, then she glanced at the waitress and back to Emilio before voicing her thought. "You're a vegetarian."

"Usually," the man said, "I've been anemic."

Olivia swallowed hard as she took in the statement. "Iron. Nothing to do with the veil?"

"Honestly, I don't know," the weretiger admitted before asking, "How's Lemuel?"

Olivia seemed to think about her answer before speaking, "Hungrier than usual."

"And you?" Winnie asked the woman across from her. When Olivia shot her a sharp look the redhead explained, "Supernaturals are open to the same wavelength so it makes sense that they would be affected by the veil, and while humans are less 'in tune' they can still pick-up demonic interference."

"That's a highly accurate metaphor," Emilio commented with a wry grin.

"I'm fine," Olivia finally answered.

"Yeah, but how do you feel," Winnie joked as a smirk played across her lips, until she took a bite of her sandwich.

Olivia just snorted and shook her head. It wasn't long before she received her order and the conversation died down into a companionable silence as they ate.

Olivia said goodbye at the end of the meal and went her separate way, while Winnie followed Emilio into the church. The inside had been cleaned up since the fight with Bowie, and there was a temporary patch on the roof until it could be repaired.

Taking a seat, Winnie leaned forward to brace her elbows on her knees as she started massaging her temples.

"I wish this headache would go away," she murmured.

A hand gently gripped her shoulder and she heard Emilio speak, "Perhaps you should go home and rest. I saw Creek at the restaurant, you should have some privacy."

She scoffed, when she spoke her voice was normal but her tone was wry exasperation, "I've never had that much privacy. I lived in an RV with my grandma and brother. Even after Xylda died, she wasn't gone, but now...the RV, Grandma, Manny, it's all gone. Part of me is in shock, part wants to cry, and the rest is mad as hell." She paused to take a deep breath before looking up into warm brown eyes, "But your right. I at least need to shower, change clothes and brush my teeth."

He smiled as she stood giving a gentle squeeze to her shoulder before letting go and stepping out of her way.

Returning the smile, the redhead walked away with a cheery, "See you later, Tiger."

Winnie felt much better after a shower and was happy to find one of her favorite shirts hanging in the closet. Written in pink and white across the front of a black t-shirt was the saying, 'I Smile and Act Like Nothing's Wrong It's Called Dealing with Shit and Staying Strong'.

The redhead walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before heading toward the couch. She had just sat down when a vision made her pause.

 _People with their faces ripped off, their bodies piled in the street like garbage. There was fire. Fiji captured in the arms of a faceless figure._

Winnie gasped when the images finally stopped and doubled over clutching her head. The migraine was back.

Unable to open her eyes, she used the voice command for her phone to call Fiji.

" _This is 'The Inquiring Mind', Fiji speaking._ "

"Fiji," Winnie said with a wince as her own voice made the pain worse, "I need a little help. I've got a head-splitting migraine and I'm at the house by myself. Do you think you can bring over some of that tea from yesterday?"

" _Oh, of course, I'll be right over._ "

"Thanks," the redhead said earnestly just before the call disconnected.

When Fiji arrived, she already had a travel mug of tea ready for the psychic which she promptly handed over.

"Here, just sip that," the witch ordered as she sat down a bag on the living room table, "I also brought a couple of batches just in case."

Winnie smiled into the rim of the mug and asked quietly, "So, how much do I owe you for this?"

"Oh, no, there's no—"

"Fiji, you run a business, and I'm sure this will become a regular thing, so let me pay for it," the redhead took another sip and slowly opened her eyes. "This stuff is amazing. Thank you."

There was a shy smile on the dark-haired woman's face, "It won't get you back to a hundred percent but it helps."

"Are you kidding? I feel so much better, I could ask you to marry me. You know, if I wasn't totally head-over-heels for Emilio and you weren't in-love with Bobo, and we both liked girls," she said jokingly with a bright smile and laugh.

Fiji giggled and her words came out in a quiet chuckle, "You are definitely feeling better."

Nodding, Winnie announced, "Wayyyy better."

"I'm glad," the witch told the psychic, "but now I have to be getting back to the shop. You can finish that," she said gesturing to the cup, "and give it back when you're done."

"I'll come by later, so I can pay for the tea and hand your mug back," Winnie agreed.

Fiji was about to leave when she seemed to remember something and turned back around to look at Winnie. "Creek said she wasn't able to tell you," the brunette started, "but she's staying at my place now."

Winnie's eyes fell to the container in her hands and she could only acknowledge the statement with a quiet, "Oh."

The witch gave a sad smile and left.

Half an hour later, Winnie left her house and went to Fiji's place to drop everything off. The witch tried to refuse payment again, but Winnie left the money on the table before she left. Then she went to Home Cookin' to find Creek.

The waitress was obviously on her break since Winnie found her outside leaning against the railing.

When Creek spotted the redhead coming toward her with a determined stride she actually stepped back, but Winnie was soon in her space and surprised the younger woman when she hugged her.

"I'm not mad at you," the gypsy said but then hummed and said, "Okay, I'm sort of mad at you for breaking my brother's heart and making him run away, but you're hurting too. So, I won't curse you, but I'm about to curse at you." She stepped back and held the waitress at arm's length by her shoulders. She stared the brunette in the eyes as she spoke, "My brother fucking loves you, and you pushed him away when the only thing keeping him here was you. The way he just left without me," Winnie's eyes started to shine with unshed tears, "I don't even know if I matter anymore, but you..." She paused and her gaze shifted to the church where she knew Emilio was, "You became as crucial as breathing," she whispered before swallowing hard and looking back at the other girl, "Now he's drowning and I'm not there to pull him back, and that terrifies me. So, let me be here for you, don't push me away too, or I fail you and Manny."

Neither girl was sure who moved first but they were soon hugging again. Faces barred in the other's shoulder as they silently cried. It took them a few minutes to dry their eyes.

"Thank you. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I'll tell you as soon as I know," Creek promised.

"Okay," Winnie said with a nod and watched as the brunette headed back inside.

Seconds later, a commotion came from the street and Winnie turned around to find Bobo and Fiji with an older woman who was struggling in the man's arms and shouting.

Winnie made her way over as the three in the street headed for the church. They got inside, and the woman suddenly stopped, almost falling limp in Bobo's arms.

Emilio's concerned gaze fell on them as soon as he stepped inside, Olivia behind him. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Fiji said, the witch sounded lost and was watching the older woman as if looking hard enough would reveal some kind of secret, "Janice? Are you alright?"

"I," the woman started and then paused before shaking her head, "No," Janice said as she started to sob, "No."

They led the elder woman to the front pew and helped her take a seat. Fiji stayed with her while Emilio retrieved a First Aid kit and the others gave the witch and distraught woman space. The reverend, pawn shop owner, assassin and gypsy retreated to the other side of the church, close to the exit.

"Man," Winnie breathed the word out in a huff, "Things are progressively getting worse. At this rate, I'll be lucky if there's enough time to pick-up a useful hobby."

"What, like knitting?" Olivia asked sarcastically.

The redhead scoffed, "No, more like making grenades."

Blinking in surprise before giving a smirk, the blonde replied, "Sounds like my kind of hobby."

"There's something I've been wondering for the longest time now," Bobo suddenly said.

With questioning looks, the others in their group turned to him.

"What is that?" Asked Olivia.

Bobo turned to the redheaded woman. "The night I got arrested, where did you get the dynamite, and what did you do with it?"

"I sent it to a guy I know," she said with a shrug, "but it's okay," she continued pulling out a stick of dynamite from inside her jacket, "I have more."

Bobo took a half-step back, "Wh—why?"

"Never know when I'll need it," was the calm reply as the explosive was shoved back into the inner pocket of the psychic's riding jacket. "Same reason I wear my gloves, and carry around my knives and taser," she then grabbed a handful of the necklaces around her neck, "Do you see how many protection charms I wear? After all of the family stories Grandma told when Manny and I were kids, I like to be prepared."

"I'm surprised, after the way your brother handled that angel," Olivia commented.

"Manny is a horse of a different color. Grandma made sure his first instinct was to run, not fight, but he'll still surprise you. I'm only a little different. I learned there are times when you don't get the option to run. Still, being prepared and looking for a fight are two different things. I would rather avoid conflict but I will always protect myself, my family, and those I care about."

The blonde nodded solemnly and the men silently agreed.

Winnie looked over her shoulder to the old woman sitting in the front pew. She frowned and bit her lip before announcing, "I'll be right back," and then quickly leaving.

Going to her trailer, Winnie unlocked the door and entered. Pulling a small bag from the wardrobe closet, the psychic turned to the cabinet with her stash of cash. She placed $20, 000 dollars into the bag and then opened a drawer on the other side of the trailer to pull out two handcrafted bracelets from among many others.

Once she was done, Winnie locked up her belongings and went back to the church.

When Winnie returned to the church everyone was quiet and the old woman seemed to be speaking to Fiji.

A minute later, the door opened again and an elderly man walked in.

"Janice?" The old man called, and the others turned to the woman sitting with Fiji.

The woman, or Janice, slowly made her way to the man and Winnie came to stand close to them, drawing the aged couples attention.

Smiling kindly, the gypsy spoke, "Janice and..." She waited for the man to say his name before continuing, "Martin, it's nice to meet you. I'm Winnie."

"It's nice to meet you too," the old woman replied.

"This may seem strange," the psychic told them, "but I have something for you," she handed the bracelets to Janice, "Good luck charms, and something else I thought you might need," she finished and held out the bag to Martin.

Curious the man unzipped the bag and opened it to reveal the money inside.

"Oh my goodness," the wife exclaimed breathlessly.

"We can't accept this, Miss," the husband said.

"You already did," Winnie said with a smile gesturing to the bag in the man's hands, "and once you accept a gift, it's rude to return it. I hope you enjoy your vacation."

Janice and Martin stood there stunned and Winnie went to the door and held it open, giving Fiji a meaningful look as she nodded outside. "Now, I believe you two have some packing to do," she said waving out the door with her other hand. Fiji seemed to herd the pair out and the couple shuffled through the exit silently with confused looks still on their faces. "Have a safe trip."

Letting the door close behind them, the gypsy girl went back to the others.

With the old couple gone the reverend spoke, "Joe said, as the veil frays, evil energy would seep out. Energy that would tap into our darker impulses."

Fiji disagreed, "That's...not what Janice felt. It's not what I felt either. Janice and I heard a specific voice. It's a demon."

"It never asked you to..." Bobo questioned hesitantly.

"No!" the witch exclaimed, "No, not yet, anyway. But it is getting louder, stronger, and I think it is feeding on death to do so."

"That would explain the deceased animals I find out front every morning," said Emilio.

"There's power in cutting a life short," Winnie told them, "The most powerful spells are dark spells because they call for a sacrifice."

"But why pick on Janice?" Bobo asked.

"'Cause she's vulnerable," Fiji admitted quietly, "She's been sad. Her oldest moved away. Her mom passed."

Olivia spoke up, "So there's a demon who's got a thing for death and Fiji, and a veil to hell, making evil run amok, and any one of us can be affected."

"Yep," Fiji said with fake cheer, "And I'm done. You know, coming after me, that's one thing. But critters and Janice, they can't even put up a fight. It's just mean. And I'm putting a stop to it," the witch announced before leaving.

A chill ran up Winnie's spine and she let out a quiet gasp before turning to the others still in the church. She gave all three a significant look as she told them, "Something's coming, we need to be ready."

Bobo pursed his lips and gave a sharp nod before leaving. Olivia left after and it was just the gypsy and reverend left.

"That was a kind thing you did for Martin and Janice," the weretiger told the redhead, "Especially since they were strangers to you."

She shook her head trying to dismiss the comment, "It was the right thing to do. That's all there is to it."

He smiled and took her hand before kissing the knuckles and pulling her into a hug. "And you are so much more than you let others to see."

"A girl has to have her secrets," she teased into his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "You happen to be someone I want to share them with."

They leaned back and shared a smile before the weretiger said, "The feeling is mutual."

Closing the distance between them again, they kissed.

Bobo entered the church after sunset to find Emilio reading at the pulpit and Winnie reclining in the front pew with a deck of cards in her hands.

The pawn shop owner started speaking as soon as he closed the door behind him, his sentences were stilted, "Always liked being in church. Family would go every Sunday. Holidays. Nice to see neighbors, friends. But that's not why I'm here. I gotta ask you something, and I'm hoping you'll level with me."

The reverends brow was slightly drawn in confusion as he came around the podium to face the younger man, before he stood straight and said, "Absolutely. What is it?"

"There's concern about the veil, it's effect on supernaturals," Bobo started before he reached behind him, "I'm loaded up on silver bullets," he admitted showing the other man the gun he had tucked into his waist, "And I'm kinda feeling bad about that."

"Naw," the weretiger said shaking his head, "Don't. You're right to." There was a pause before he spoke again, "Have a seat."

The two men took a seat on the pew across the aisle from the girl, who was staring at them completely enraptured by the conversation. Bobo seemed unsure and guilty like a young boy at confession.

"Young Weres," Emilio began, "don't turn with a regularity. They're bloodthirsty, and wild, and they can turn even when there's no full moon. The feelings I'm having, I haven't felt that since I was a cub. Wild. Hungry."

"That doesn't sound like you," Bobo said.

"Until I changed, it was me," the weretiger revealed, "When I got older, I forced myself to look at the pain I'd caused, and I remind myself of that all the time, as the veils pull grows stronger."

It was quiet for a moment before the reverend clucked his tongue and spoke, "I'm gonna lock myself downstairs."

The younger man shook his head with a grunt. "There's no need for that. How about instead I stick around...incase."

"I'd appreciate that," Emilio said, "The pull of darkness is strong tonight."

Winnie smiled and looked back to her cards, but her eyes grew heavy and she fought to keep them open, unable to fight the strong pull, Winnie slipped into unconsciousness and her body slumped down onto the bench.

 _She slipped into a memory of her grandmother's last moments alive. It was bittersweet as Xylda escaped her cancer in death._

 _Suddenly she heard her grandmother's voice like an echo in her head. Xylda was calling to Manny and Winnie was suddenly standing beside her brother who was lying on the ground with their grandmother sitting beside him._

 _Manny coughed as he woke up asking, "What?"_

 _"Listen to me," Xylda told him, "The day I died, I got a vision. One of those that don't come around too often. A clear view of a moment in the future. It was Midnight in flames, folks dying all around, and you in the center. The only one to stop it."_

 _"You didn't happen to see how?" He asked hoarsely._

 _"No. I'm sorry," she apologized, "But, Manny, remember when you were little. You're powerful. Spirits will listen to you. I should have taught you to use that power, not to hide it. Now you need to be a better man than I raised you to be. You need to go back."_

 _"If I don't, they all die?"_

 _Xylda nodded her head gravely._

 _Manny got up. "Then I don't have a choice, do I?"_

 _Xylda smiled proudly at her grandson._

 _"Why are you smiling?" He asked incredulously, "I'm probably gonna die."_

 _"Oh, hell. Everyone dies eventually. It's how you live. That's the only thing you got a say over. You live for the folks you love. For me that was you and Winnie, Manny." She pinched his cheeks and chuckled, "You sweet, weird kid."_

 _Manny smiled before his expression changed to confusion. "Wait," he said glancing around, "You're—you're tethered to the RV."_

 _The ghost shook her head."Not anymore," she told him, "I did what I was here to do. Now I get to move on."_

 _'No,' he mouthed and started to shake his head._

 _An engine started to rumble in Winnie's ears and the vision began to fade._

 _"And so do you," Xylda continued, "Your ride's here."_

 _"Grandma," he began but was intrupted._

 _"We said good-bye during the cancer year. Go." Xylda said firmly and the vision was gone._

Winnie groaned and slowly opened her eyes to find Emilio looking down at her. She took a moment to realize she was on the floor and there was a dull throb at her temple that had nothing to do with her migraine.

"I feel like I fell," she stated.

"You did," Bobo told her from somewhere near her feet, "Are you alright?"

She gave a sardonic grin, "...besides the pounding migraine, the knot on my forehead and the impending sense of doom? I'm fantastic."

Emilio shot her an amused look before speaking to the other man, "It seems she'll be fine."

Winnie moved to sit up and the reverend was quick to assist the redhead. Her brow creased as she remembered her vision telling the two with her, "I need to make a call."

She pulled out her phone and pressed a number of speed dial then waited as it rang. When the call connected she spoke without waiting for the person on the line to talk, "My RV was stolen. Do you boys think you have time to help me get it back?" She paused, "Oh, that's great news. I'll text the address as soon as I hang up. Please tell him thank you for me."

She quickly hung up and typed out a text message to send to the person she had called. Looking at Bobo and Emilio with a smile she said, "Alright, now I just have to get ready for Manny to get back."

"Another vision," Bobo and Emilio questioned/stated at the same time.

Winnie chuckled as she stood up. Bobo held out her deck of cards and she took them with a raised eyebrow.

"They got scattered around when you fell," he explained.

She glanced down at the face of the card on top and gave him a smirk. "Would you look at that," she said showing him 'The Star' card, "light in the darkness."

"Is that a good thing?" The shop owner asked puzzled.

She shrugged as she headed to the door and just before leaving she finally spoke, "Usually!"

In her trailer Winnie pulled out a duffle bag that had been stuffed in the bottom of the wardrobe and then reached into a cabinet to pull out a long rectangular box. Locking the trailer behind her, the gypsy made her way inside to deposit her belongings on the bed.

"Okay," she said and began thinking out loud as she unzipped the duffle, "Demons. It's a good thing my ancestors were packrats." Inside the bag were several pieces of clothing, a dark-green embroidered cropped jacket, white peasant blouse, black leggings, and matching black leather corset and thigh-high boots. Winnie examined the stitching on the jacket, her eyes able to make out the patterns of the familiar protection runes, "And if it doesn't help, at least it won't make things worse," she finished with a shrug.

She continued to talk to the empty room, "It's not time for the blood moon, Joe's still gone, so we have time to figure out whatever that was in my vision," she flashed a sarcastic smirk, "Maybe I'll have enough time to air this stuff out...yeah, right," the redhead murmured as a shiver ran up her spine and then glared in annoyance, "...what a pipe dream. Why can't my stupid visions be a little more helpful?"

Laying the jacket back on the bed, the psychic spun around and came nose to nose with Emilio. The sudden closeness startled her and she stepped back, only to bump into the bed, and would have fallen back if not for the hand that quickly grabbed her arm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said rapidly as he used both hands to make sure she was steady before letting go, "I was worried. Your presence keeps the tiger calm."

Winnie cupped his face gently between her palms and leaned their foreheads together before letting out a quiet sigh and whispering, "You're so strong, all on your own."

"It's nice not being alone," he told her softly.

"You might get tired of me," the redhead joked as she pulled back, then nodded to the clothes on the bed, "Now, feel like helping me?"

The black-clad man raised an intrigued eyebrow.

Winnie blushed. "With the corset," she explained, "It's an old style, and I'll need help with the laces."

He eyed the clothes, "They do seem rather dated. I'm assuming they are from a few centuries ago."

"Yeah, my ancestors were total hoarders, but they kept it to all the useful stuff. These were specially made to protect against hellfire and demons. Sort of like an enchanted suit of armor," she finished as she picked up the leggings, "The material for this and the blouse was soaked in different potions and are practically poisonous to demons. And the jacket is as tough as chainmail, while also being fireproof, same with the corset and boots."

"In the box?" Emilio questioned.

Winnie smiled and winked, "That's for last."

There was nothing awkward about changing in front of the weretiger, and that fact made the gypsy girl blush. She stripped down to her underwear before donning the old outfit. Pulling the jacket over her arms she turned to the reverend with a smirk.

"So, how do I look?"

"Beautiful," he practically purred and his eyes seemed to shine gold for a second.

She turned back to the box on the bed. "Can't forget this," the redhead said under her breath as she opened the lid to reveal a silver rapier. The sword belt was placed on the velvet cushion beside the sword and the gypsy removed it first before strapping it around her waist. Then came the sword and she anchored the hilt to the belt.

"Silver," Emilio stated.

"Yes, it was plated with silver and blessed by priests," she confirmed. She grabbed the gloves and knives she had removed and put them back on, strapping the knives to her thigh.

"Beautiful," he said again, "and deadly. A true descendant of demon slayers."

"And monster hunters," she added quietly, "Thank you Aunt Anna."

Suddenly it felt like her heart sunk to the soles of her boots and her head turned to the door. "Trouble's coming, and it's almost here," she looked back at him, "I trust you but I don't want to ask too much of you, so I need to know if you think you can't handle it."

"I cannot say for sure but I will do all in my power to keep everyone safe, even from myself."

Winnie could hear the conviction in his words and see it in the weretiger's eyes. A small affectionate smile curled her lips and then she raised her voice a little to call out, "Bobo!"

There was silence until her landlord appeared in the doorway. "Yeah, do you need something?"

The redhead spoke with a knowing smirk, "Big brother listening at the door, huh?" She asked before changing topics, "How good is your aim with a crossbow?"

"I usually hit the target," he answered with a wary tone.

"Good," she said stepping over to the closet and pulling out a silver crossbow and a silver cylinder that she used to demonstrate as she explained, "The arrows are silver dipped in holy water. The cylinder in the middle holds the arrows and here is a back-up, each one holds thirty bolts. The mechanisms inside are designed to reload an arrow as soon the previous one is fired. Just aim and squeeze the trigger. If you run out, eject the cylinder using the lever on the side, then line up the open slot on the cylinder before you load the new one."

"This is something," Bobo said as he took the crossbow from the psychic.

Outside there was the sound of a large truck going down the street. Winnie nodded to the door, "Out the back. We need to get to everyone without being seen."

Bobo nodded his agreement and turned away, "Come on."

Bobo lead them to Fiji's only to not find anyone there, so they headed the other way and heard a commotion from above Bobo's shop. Entering through the back, they found Olivia, Lemuel, Manny and Fiji inside.

Manny's eyes caught his sister's and he flinched when she instantly looked away from him. The male psychic knew he messed up, and he just hoped his sister gave him the chance to explain.

The brunette medium told them about the demon that had come to midnight.

"Alright," Olivia said, "So we need to stop it, now."

Everyone nodded and they all headed out the door and into the street where they spotted the demon a little way away.

"This ain't anywhere near okay," Bobo said from the front of the group.

Winnie walked between Bobo and Emilio, who was praying, "Protect this town from his wickedness."

The demon struck a lighter in his hand as he said, "You will rise again."

Lemuel sped over to stop the flame from touching the pile of corpses. Bobo grabbed the demon's other arm as Olivia wrenched the lighter from the evil being's grasp.

"There isn't gonna be a funeral pyre," Manny declared as he faced the demon, "or a human sacrifice, or whatever the hell you think this is."

The demon seemed to be paying less attention to the medium and more attention to the resident witch when it said, "You're Fiji."

"You don't talk to her!" Bobo shouted.

Again, the demon payed no attention to what was said to it. "When he rises, you will be his."

"Whose?" Fiji yelled in anger. "Who are you talking about?" She demanded.

"Colcannar," the malicious creature said, "He's chosen you."

"Colcannar? That's his name?"

Manny stepped up to pull the witch back and she fought in his grip, "Fiji, don't listen—"

The dark-skinned woman froze and let out a startled noise.

Olivia took notice and asked, "What is it?"

"I hear him," the witch told her blonde friend, before turning to face the pile of bodies behind her.

The ground started to crack as fire reached up from below to engulf the dead sacrifice.

"Everyone, get back!" Manny said as the retreated.

The demon finally wrestled out of his captor's grip, throwing Bobo to the ground and shrugging off Olivia and Lem. It went after the witch as soon as it was free.

Bobo say this and cried out a warning, "Fiji!"

"Ah, no!" She shouted as it grabbed her.

"Let her go." Manny ordered.

"It won't be long now," the demon announced, "He will rise. And he will take you as his."

"Let me go!" Fiji said as she struggled.

Winnie unsheathed her rapier as she came from the side, using the hand guard to punch the demon in the face. The sizzle of burning flesh and the demon's shout sounded through the air as it lost its hold on the witch. When the demon reached out for the fleeing woman, the redhead's sword struck out and pierced it through the hand.

Fiji dashed away toward Manny who stepped back with her. Bobo raised the crossbow and leveled it at the demon pulling the trigger and letting four silver bolts fly in quick succession. There was an even louder scream but the demon was still standing.

"Spirits who he hurt, help me," the medium called as he watched his sister brandish her weapon against the demon, "Don't let this monster kill anyone else. End this. Drag him back to hell. Toss him in there!"

The demon lashed out at the redhead gypsy again, but the spirits were already on top of it. The seized the monster and pulled it back into the flames.

The evil creatures spoke as it struggled, "You can't stop this. You're too late. Kill me, but he will rise!"

A second after the demon disappeared the flames were gone, along with the bodies.

"How'd you do that?" Olivia questioned, wide-eyed as she stared at where the pit of flames had been.

"Old trick I used to do," the male psychic answered, "But it didn't stop him. The sacrifice was made."

Black blood dripping from her blade, Winnie looked at her brother. She sighed but looked at the crowd gathered down the street when she spoke, "Where's the RV, Manfred." Her flat tone and the use of his full name from his sister had the brunette flinching like he was struck. Finally, her eyes locked with his, "You've developed a nasty habit of leaving things behind," she hissed. Emilio's hand fell gently on her arm and almost instantly her shoulders sagged, "We'll discuss this later," she informed him before nodding in the direction of the house they shared, "Go get cleaned up."

"You should talk to him," Emilio told her as he gently brushed a kiss against her temple and made his way to the church.

Winnie watched him leave, and out of the corner of her eyes saw the others disperse. Bobo came and handed her the crossbow before saying, "I'll look after him. Go do what you need to."

"Thanks," the redhead told her friend with a tired smile as she moved toward her house.

Inside the house was quiet but Winnie could hear the shower running. She went into the bathroom and took a seat on the closed toilet lid. As hurt as she was about him leaving, she was very happy to have him back.

A few minutes later the shower shut off and the curtain slid open. The male was startled but he stayed quiet as he grabbed the towel to dry off. All his sister did was reach over and grab his toothbrush and paste before handing them to him. He took it as the silent request it was, so he stepped out and started brushing his teeth as he waited to hear what she would say.

Finding an interesting spot to stare at, Winnie started to speak, "If you were that tired of me, you could have just said so," her words were sarcastic before her tone became less playful, "I don't know what hurt worse, the separation after being together our whole lives, or you leaving without a word. I don't even know what I feel, right now. I'm angry that you left, and at Creek because she hurt you. I'm happy that you're back, sad that you didn't take me with you, and glad that I got to stay with Emilio. And pissed off, because when you did come back it was with a demon and dead bodies. I mean, really?"

Manny spat out the toothpaste in his mouth before he interrupted his sister's rant, "You have every right to be mad at me, Winnie. I know I screwed up. I was confused. You have to believe me, I would never have left without telling you if I had been thinking straight."

Winnie's eyes cut sharply to her brother and the emotional turmoil in the jade orbs was like a gut punch. "You took the RV. The only home we've known since Mom left us with Grandma. To be honest I can hardly remember our mother. Xylda wasn't just our grandmother, she raised us—besides you, she was the only person I considered family—and I wasn't even there when she finally moved on, Manny," Winnie turned her eyes back to the wall.

"I'm sorry," Manny said, his head and shoulders hung low, as his whole being showed how wretched he felt.

Silence hung between them for a moment until, with a soft tisk, the redhead stood and wrapped her arms around her brother. "I already forgave you," she admitted, "I said goodbye to Grandma when she died. And it's not like I don't already have someone tracking down the RV for me—but you've got some major sucking up to do."

He let out a relieved sigh as he returned the hug, "You name it."

"I want French toast for breakfast," she mumbled into his collar.

He let out a laugh as he nodded his head, "You got it."

"...and orange juice."

"Okay."

The next morning, the redhead gypsy was back in her normal clothes. The red shirt she wore declared, "In My Defense I Was Left Unsupervised".

Winnie moaned at the delicious taste of her brother's French toast recipe and scarfed down four slices before helping him with the clean-up.

"We still have a bunch of pizza in the fridge," the brunette mentioned.

His sister raised an eyebrow at him as she replied, "There's no way I could have eaten it all while you were gone."

"What about Creek?"

Winnie sighed with a shrug, "I think she moved in with Fiji the day after you left. I wasn't really here, since I was keeping an eye on Emilio."

"Right. How's he doing?"

"He's fine," she replied as her eyes darted to the door and lingered a few seconds, "better after the full moon, but he's been fighting the veil's influence."

"Well, Fiji's potion should help him out," the male psychic consoled. Then he nudged her shoulder and nodded to the door, "Go on, I know you want to, I can finish this."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, before washing off her hands and toweling them dry. On her way out the door, she grabbed her jacket and threw a goodbye over her shoulder as it closed.

Creek was heading towards the psychics' residence as Winnie left, and they shared small smiles as they passed each other.

Winnie found the weretiger where he always was, at the church.

Emilio turned when he heard the redhead come in and smiled as she came closer, "You seem happy this morning. Your talk with your brother must have gone well."

"Manny knows he's still in trouble and the feelings are raw, but we're good." She glanced at the tools in his hands, "Wasn't Bobo going to help with the repairs."

"He is," the black-clad man said as he dropped the tools into the toolbox, "We're taking a break. Bobo said he was going to check on Fiji."

"That's good, I would offer to help but I'm crafty, not handy. I don't know the first thing about building things," she said with a shy smile.

He smiled back then held out a hand, "Will you take a walk with me?"

"Sure," Winnie answered as she took his hand.

When they were outside, Emilio switched the positions of their hands so Winnie's was curled in the crook of his elbow as they walked down the street.

They passed the restaurant before the reverend started to speak, "You were extremely brave last night. I could tell that facing that demon took a lot of courage, even as prepared as you were. When you acted it was without hesitation, and I'm immensely proud."

Winnie blushed and ducked her head to rest against his shoulder before she spoke, "Thank you."

The smile was clear in his voice when he said, "You're welcome."

The two made a full circle back to the church. Bobo had returned and the two men started to get back to work, Winnie said a quick goodbye before she left to help Olivia watch Bobo's shop.

With no customers in the pawn shop, the redhead was able to talk the blonde into a game of poker. To Olivia's frustration, it was Winnie who ended up winning the most hands and the assassin owed the gypsy three-thousand dollars when they finally stopped the game.

"I just got scammed, didn't I?" The blonded grumbled.

Winnie smiled as she collected the chips, "Not this time."

The women laughed and waited for the nightshift to start before going their separate ways. It was a surprisingly good day, expecially after having to deal with a demon, but Winnie could feel it. It was the calm before the storm.


	9. Riders on the Storm

_Author note: Yes! I'm finally able to post this chapter._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris._

Chapter 9 – Riders On the Storm

It had been a strangely quiet day, Winnie thought as she sat cross-legged on her porch. Everyone had gone back to their normal lives and daily routines...well, except for Olivia and Lemuel who still weren't talking, and Creek was still staying a Fiji's.

Winnie rolled the baseball sized crystal she held, from one hand to the other and back again, absentmindedly. Her seven-times-great-grandmother's crystal ball was acting more like a worry stone than anything else.

A small breeze came to circle around her and played with her dark-red tresses. There was a hint of power in the air that sparked along her senses. Before she knew it, the crystal ball started to glow, and among the glow there was fire as ghostly screams echoed in her ears.

Winnie dropped the ball in surprise. Thankfully, it landed safely in her lap, but the connection was broken and the glow was gone.

"Yeah, yeah," the gypsy muttered under her breath, "Demons are coming. I get it. Thanks for the reminder," she quickly snatched the crystal up and plopped it into her messenger bag, "so much for a quiet day."

Picking up the tea she had made before sitting outside, Winnie registered the cold temperature of the mug; with several gulps and a slight sigh she finished the drink.

After going back inside and grabbing her shades off the counter the redhead went for a walk around town. She wandered aimlessly through streets and alleys until she came to the small park next to the church.

A spark of whimsy traveled through her and she went over to the swing set to sit. Feet still touching the ground, Winnie bent her knees and let gravity swing her back and forth.

As quiet as it was, everyone waited on tenterhooks for the veil to open. At least everything outside of Midnight seemed to be better. Chuy would occasionally text with a message, letting Winnie know he and Joe were okay, but he could tell that Joe was feeling guilty about leaving. The half-demon and gypsy both felt that it wouldn't be long before the angel was back in Midnight.

Winnie's gaze scanned the surrounding buildings as she continued to let her mind wonder, but it wasn't long before something caught her attention. A smile split the psychics face as she saw a familiar vehicle coming down the road. She was on her feet instantly and quickly walking toward the street.

The vehicle stopped in front of her, a sleek black town car also pulled up, and both drivers seemed to step out at the same time.

"Guys! It feels like forever since I've seen you," Winnie announced as she threw herself at the man who had stepped out of the RV. The tall dirty-blonde haired man gave a bright smile that wrinkled the corners of his hazel eyes as he returned the woman's hug.

"Piccolo tesoro," the dark-haired, dark-eyed man, who had been driving the black car, spoke as he paused beside them; the man's tongue perfectly shaping the words of his native language, and his deep voice, combined to make the endearment sound sultry, "It is good to see you."

Winnie quickly shifted and was suddenly hugging the other man. Her words muffled in the lapels of his Armani suit but he didn't seem to care, "You too, Dante."

"How are you doing, kiddo?" the blonde asked as he tousled the red curls on Winnie's head, "That brother of yours still getting you into trouble?"

The gypsy girl pulled away from the brunette as she swatted at the pestering hand of the other man.

"You mean, is she still getting him out of trouble," the previously named, Dante, uttered quietly. His eyes had narrowed giving his face a darkly-unhappy expression.

"Be nice guys," the psychic admonished with a chuckle, "Besides, you're not one to talk, Tony. Remember what happened to that girlfriend who thought you were two-timing her with a younger woman?"

Tony let out a guilt laugh. "Yeah, she never believed me when I said you were a friend of the boss."

"Speaking of Mr. Gagliardi," Dante began, "He sends his regards but was unable to make the trip to see you due to business."

"Oh, if we're being formal," Winnie said sharing a smirk with Tony, "Please, let him know that I wish him and his daughter well, and thank him for his help in returning my property. I think we're even."

"Mr. Gagliardi owes you for saving the life of his daughter, accidentally or not, and feels he will always be in your debt," the brunette told her, "so he expects you to call again if you need anything else."

Tony spoke next, "Viola still talks about you. She'll tell anyone who will listen, about the girl who rescued her from a hitman. Of course, she leaves out the part where you stumbled across them in an alley by accident and surprised the guy," he chuckled, "It all sounds very heroic when she tells it."

"I'm sorry to cut things short, bambino, but Antonio and I need to be getting back. I wish there was more time but you're deathtrap needed more repairs than we originally thought," Dante explained.

"I get it, it was good seeing you two," Winnie said as she stepped back but was stopped when Tony brought her into a one armed hug.

"You too, short stuff. Take care of yourself," Tony said, while handing Winnie the keys to the RV. Then he and his companion got into their car and drove away.

Winnie got into the RV and smiled at the obviously cleaned interior, which was a nice gesture considering the RV was so old. Salvatore Gagliardi may be a mob boss but he was still a good man, who treated Winnie like a second daughter.

She started up the engine and drove it down the block to park the RV in its usual spot. Her grandmother may not be there but the RV was back in place and Winnie felt like she could breathe a little easier.

* * *

Winnie was making her way to the restaurant to have dinner with Olivia, when Mr. Snuggly crossed her path and stopped in front of her, causing the gypsy to halt in her tracks.

Once he seemed to have her attention the cat gave a quiet meow and took off toward Fiji's greenhouse. Thinking that the animal wanted something, Winnie followed.

Waiting in the middle of the small greenhouse, the cat spoke as soon as the woman entered, "Things are getting bad."

"Is Fiji alright?" Winnie asked quickly.

"No, that demon sunk its claws in deep, won't give her a lick of rest. She's wound tighter than an eight day clock and I don't know how long she can keep this up," he informed her.

Winnie frowned as she picked the cat up and began to stroke his ears. "I don't get it," she murmured, "Originally it was in my house, but it didn't do anything to me or Manny. Then it gets banished and starts going after Fiji. What does it want from her?"

"Her power," the cat said, "Witches and demons have history and not a happy one. Demons can steal the powers of witches, and the most powerful witches are virgins, I reckon that's why it wants her so bad."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh wow, poor Bobo, I totally get it know," Winnie thought aloud before shaking her head, "Wait, you're telling me, that demon is after Fiji because she's a virgin? So I'm guessing the way it plans on stealing her powers is by…" she scowled, "There is no way I'm letting that demon anywhere near her," the gypsy vowed.

"Then you're going to need an army, girly. I don't think there's any way to stop it from coming to town, I can feel it in these old bones," the feline remarked.

"I know," Winnie whispered, remembering her vision, "when the time comes, there will be people to fight against the demons. I just can't say how it will end."

"Hmm," the animal hummed before wriggling out of her grasp and jumping to the ground, "You should go on, girly, I just wanted to let you know what I've been seeing."

"Good night, Mr. Snuggly," Winnie called quietly as the cat left and she was quick to leave also, she didn't want to make Olivia wait, not that the woman would wait long.

The female psychic was right about the blonde woman's priorities. When Winnie arrived, Olivia was in the back room slowly eating. The other woman seemed to be preoccupied by whatever was on her mind and only acknowledged Winnie when she sat down.

"You're late," Olivia commented, "I'd ask if you got lost on the way, but this town's not big enough for that."

Winnie gave a shrug, "Stopped to have a quick chat. What about you? Still not talking to Lem?"

Olivia gave her a sharp look, "There's a reason for that."

"A very valid reason," Winnie agreed before quietly adding, "but I'm sure Lem must be hurting too. Losing his reasoning the way he did, hurting the person he loves, and then not even being able to apologize for it. He must be devastated."

"Looks like the Rev was able to handle it," the blonde stated.

"Thankfully. If it had taken Fiji any longer with that potion, or Emilio was any less in control, you can bet your ass Bobo would have put one of those silver bullets in him," the redhead stated with a look that conveyed her knowledge of just where said bullets had come from.

They lapsed into silence, Winnie's food came and she was halfway through her meal before the blonde spoke again.

"I noticed that you're RV is back. Did you have it picked up by a tow-truck?"

Winnie smiled softly, "No, some...friends found it and brought it back for me."

"Must be pretty good friends," Olivia replied.

The redhead gave a noncommittal shrug. "Tony and Dante are good guys and their boss is a devoted father. There are worse people to know."

The blonde raised an eyebrow but Winnie didn't add anything else to the conversation. After a few minutes, the blonde announced that she would be heading home and bid the psychic good night as she left.

Not long after Olivia's departure, Lem entered. Winnie looked up as he walked into the room and the vampire almost appeared sheepish as he sat in the chair previously occupied by the blonde woman.

The gypsy sighed, "I see you're avoiding her as much as she's avoiding you."

"I thought it best," he said quietly.

With a hum and lift of her eyebrows at his comment, Winnie leaned to the left and made eye contact with a waiter. When the man enter she said, "Lem said he's ready to order. He'll have a chicken and almond salad and a glass of water. Thanks."

The vampire gave the woman across from him a confused look. "I don't eat...food," he stated, in a tone that clearly said the vampire was questioning if she had hit her head recently.

"I remember," she replied dryly, "There's still an hour before you have to work, so I thought we could sit and talk while I nibble on a salad."

"Forgive me, but I don't feel like talking," Lem told her as he seemed to straighten even more in his chair, the body language was obvious.

"Then don't," Winnie said simply, and settled in to wait.

For someone who didn't want to talk, it was no surprise to the gypsy that Lemuel was the first one to speak after only a few minutes of silence.

"There is no apology I can give, nothing I could possibly say or do that will atone for what I have done, and yet I would go crawling back on hands and knees if I thought Olivia would forgive me even a little," the vampire said his tone quiet and heartbroken.

"She loves you," the psychic stated quietly, "she'll forgive you, if she hasn't already. It just might take some time for her to trust you again but what is time to a vampire."

The vampire stayed quiet and the waiter came and went. The salad stayed in front of Lemuel even as Winnie occasionally took bites. The gypsy chewed thoughtfully but they didn't speak until it was almost time for the male to leave.

"Olivia's wish is not to become like me," Lem stated and then clarified, "a vampire."

"And you have respected her wishes," Winnie said as she looked him in the eyes, "as much as it breaks your heart."

"I know that I will continue living long after the woman I love dies, of course it pains me."

"Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you'll live forever. Sunlight still burns you, silver hurts you, and I'm betting a stake through the heart can still kill you," The gypsy told him, "All things die eventually. Olivia wants to die a human and I see no problem with that. It's not like she has an "actual" death wish, and you can still protect her or help her when she needs it. You know her, you know what she really wants and you're the only one who can give it to her, and it's not immortality."

It took a moment for Lemuel to speak, "How can someone so young be so wise?" he wondered softly; his voice and expression seemed almost defeated.

She sipped her water before letting out a deep sigh, "I know about death because I've lived my whole life knowing the dead, and I know about the feelings people hide because I'm an empath. I'm also a fortune-teller, so I know when to speak and when to bite my tongue. But, I'm nowhere near wise."

"On that, we will have to disagree," he murmured before letting out a sigh, "I should go, I'm already late for work. Good night, Winifred."

"Night," she said as he got up to leave and was quickly gone.

Choosing to change seats after Lemuel left, Winnie sat in a booth at the front of the restaurant watching the world outside the window as she ate her ice cream. It was as she watched that she saw a familiar truck amble down the road. She almost dropped a spoonful of ice cream on her lap as she stared in disbelief.

Joe was back, and just in time for the apocalypse.

She frowned and for a moment thoughts swirled around in her head before her eyes drifted back to her half-melted dessert. Shoveling another spoonful into her mouth she let the sweet flavor on her tongue distract her. When the ice-cream was gone, Winnie let out a sigh as she picked up the check and paid for her meal at the counter.

Stepping out of the restaurant, she didn't even think about where she was going until she found herself across the street.

'Joe's back', was the simple text she sent her brother before entering the tattoo shop.

"You know, your timing is either really amazing or really terrible," Winnie said when she found Joe. She was smiling when he turned around, "…and now I have to make my two layer, triple chocolate with strawberries, extra decadent devil's food cake for Chuy. That's what I get for betting with your husband on when you'd show up."

The angel laughed softly, "I'm not surprised. We have gotten to know each other pretty well over the years. Though, it does give him an unfair advantage."

"That's okay," Winnie said with a shrug before smiling deviously, "I said I would make him a cake, but I never said he was the only one who would be eating it."

Footsteps came from the hallway and the two in the room looked to see Manny walking in. He paused and looked at his sister and Joe, before focusing on the angel and saying, "I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

The blonde gave a half-nod and shrugged, "Sure."

Winnie sat and listened to the two men talk. Manny started off by filling Joe in on everything that had happened since the brunette psychic had returned.

A moment later, Winnie could barely focus on the conversation, due to the sudden pain between her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut, Winnie fell into a vision, Fiji's house, a demonic voice, and then she was suddenly in the street listening to a conversation between Fiji and a stranger.

The voices were still there when she opened her eyes again, it confused the redhead since she could hear both the words from the vision in her head and Fiji's voice from outside. Struggling past the pain and confusion, Winnie went over to the window as Joe and Manny moved to see what the noise was. She couldn't see the stranger in the street only Fiji, but she could hear what was being said by the growling voice.

Joe turned to head outside, and the twins followed him.

Winnie cursed under her breath as the headache became worse the closer they got and she stumbled. Manny's steadying hand keeping her from falling.

Outside the dark-haired witch was repeatedly refusing the stranger.

"Fiji, you okay?" Manny questioned, but she didn't seem to hear him, "Fiji wake—wake up."

The voice kept speaking and the redhead realized only she and Fiji could hear it.

 _"_ _You've been lying this whole time. I know the truth about you, Fiji. You bring death to those you love._ "

Heat washed over Winnie as her brother pulled her back and the vision was broken. Fiji had conjured a jet of fire.

Seconds later, Lem had ahold of Fiji and was slowly draining her; and the paler the woman got, the more the fire died down.

Bobo came running. "Fiji? Fiji? You all right?" he asked, slightly panicked, as he gently took her from Lem.

Fiji was panting and looked both confused and frightened, as she saw the people around her.

"Were you sleepwalking?" Bobo questioned.

"No," the witch denied, "No, it was real. He was real," she finished in a whimper.

"Come on, let's get you back inside," the pawn shop owner offered as he started to guide Fiji back to her home.

Lemuel and Joe remained outside while the others went in. Creek, who had been woken up, helped make sure the dark-skinned woman was comfortable. When the younger girl asked what happened, the witch tentatively began to tell them what she had seen.

"The man you saw in your dream…" Manny started.

"Colconnar sent him." Fiji confirmed.

"Well, maybe it was just a nightmare," Creek tried to sooth.

"I wish," Bobo grumbled.

Manny took a deep breath and continued talking to Fiji as he came closer to her, "While, you were sleepwalking, you kept yelling 'stop saying that'. Stop saying what?"

The way Fiji pursed her lips and shook her head, showed she didn't want to answer the question but she spoke up, "He said I'd give myself to Colconnar."

"That's not gonna happen," Bobo said intensely.

"Why is he after you?" Manny continued, "What's he want?"

"I don't know," Fiji whispered with a head shake.

Winnie frowned at the lie. The redhead knew she should call the witch on it and tell everyone what was going on, but she didn't want to upset the older woman, so she stayed quiet.

The curly haired brunette went on, "But I don't want anybody getting hurt because of me."

"Stop!" Creek told the witch, "You are the one who's hurting now. We're taking care of you."

Manny sat beside Fiji with a loud exhale before quietly asking, "The man in your dreams, did he say anything else?"

There was a pause before a quiet, "No," and then a beat later she stood and announced, "I'm gonna go make some tea," before leaving the room.

Later, the two men and Winnie said their goodnights and left Creek to look after Fiji. Outside, the four males and one female stood on the porch and Lemuel spoke once the door was closed behind Bobo.

"I leeched her pain. There was a lot. It ran deep."

"Of course she's emotional," Bobo defended, "She's being stalked by a demon."

"So emotional, she almost set us on fire," Manny added.

"Colconnar's not the only threat to Fiji," Joe said, "She's a threat to herself, and others. We need to keep an eye on her."

"I'm not going anywhere," Bobo announced in a growl.

"Sun's almost up. I'll be back tonight," Lem told them before leaving.

Almost collectively, they each let out deep breathes.

Manny waited a few seconds before turning to Bobo, "So are he and Olivia better?"

"Well, they haven't talked since the fight. He's sleeping in the back of the pawn shop. So no," the shop owner admitted with a sigh.

They went quiet and a little while later, Manny, Joe and Winnie left.

It was late, or possibly early, Winnie hadn't bothered to check. All she wanted to do was get some sleep, which was easier said than done. After what happened to Fiji, the feeling of eminent danger in the air was making her twitchy.

Her feet carried her down a familiar path and before she had fully stopped outside the entrance to Emilio's, the door was swinging open.

Seeing the man's face had a rush of emotions filling her that quickly left her calm though exhausted, with a small grin she gave a tired, "Hey, Tiger."

There was a small crease between his brows as he stepped aside to let her in.

"You seem exhausted. Did something happen?" he quietly asked as he took her jacket to hang in the small entry closet. Eyes scanned the gypsy as he inhaled her scent and was relieved when there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"I talked to Olivia, then Lem, and then I went over to Joe's, who just got back. All before Fiji tried to set her nightmare on fire," Winnie said, then quickly relayed what had happened to the witch as she slowly made her way to the bedroom, "But everything if fine for now."

Noticing the bed was still made she glanced at the weretiger over her shoulder to say, "Shouldn't you be in bed by now? You're day always starts early and you're not a cub anymore, Tiger."

He chuckled at the light teasing, "Yes, but my day often ends late, as well. I just got back and was only here a few minutes before I heard you coming."

Winnie kicked off her shoes and made sure to set them out of the way. "Even more of a reason to hit the shower and head to bed early," she started to say as she shimmied out of her jeans before placing them in the chair beside the bed, "The powers-that-be keep sending me visions, and with Joe back in town plus Fiji's visitor, it won't be long before the veil rips open and we're facing a demon army."

Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her into an equally strong chest, and she leaned into the embrace.

Emilio placed a light kiss on her temple and murmured into her ear, "You shouldn't worry about that tonight. Go take your shower. I'll get you a change of clothes."

Reluctantly pulling away Winnie went into the bathroom.

It was a little while later as she and Emilio were curled together in his bed that the gypsy finally remembered to check the calendar. She retrieved her phone from the nightstand and saw that the blood moon was only two nights away.

Putting the phone down, the redhead turned to face the man beside her. She worried what the blood moon would mean for Emilio; it was dangerous and had a strong effect on Supernaturals. Curling into the weretiger's chest, Winnie wrestled with her thoughts for the next hour before she was finally able to fall asleep.

* * *

The light touch of lips to her forehead woke Winnie the next morning. She opened her eyes to find Emilio dressed and smiling down at her.

She pouted before her lips quirked into a playful grin, "No fare. How come you're an 'early bird' while I'm the antithesis of a morning person?"

He grinned back. "I hear opposites attract."

She let out a short laugh as she said, "Right. Just look at Joe and Chuy."

"Exactly," he replied before shifting topics, "Today I have something I need to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. There's fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen."

She scrambled to get up as she followed after him toward the door. Gently gripping the sleeve of his jacket to catch his attention, Winnie waited for him to turn around before placing a kiss on his cheek, "See you later, Tiger."

He gave her a gentle smile causing Winnie's heart to skip a beat, before returning the affectionate gesture and said softly, "Have a good morning."

Winnie waited five minutes before going back into the bedroom to pull on her clothes, and left Emilio's shirt in the clothes hamper. She paused long enough to guzzle down two cups of coffee, fill up her traveling mug that had thankfully been left at Emilio's, and rinse out the pot before she was out the door.

The first thing Winnie did was move the RV onto the street before getting Manny to help her hitch up the trailer to the motorhome. When he questioned what they were doing, she told her brother flatly, "It's better to be prepared than dead."

"So you're leaving?" he accused as he followed her into the RV.

She rounded on him with a hurt look, "No! I'm getting ready, which you should be doing too…," She spun, pulled open a cabinet, and grabbed something inside, before shoving it into his chest, "…here!"

He automatically grabbed it before glancing down at the book she had knocked the air out of him with. "You know I can't read Romanian!" he told her as she opened the door.

"This is the age of technology, use the internet. I'll meet you at Joe's," she replied before she was gone.

She went into their house, took a quick shower, put on what she lovingly referred to as 'the demon-slayer outfit' with the embroidered protection runes and her gloves and sword, before fixing some toast and eggs for breakfast and going to the tattoo shop.

Winnie was just in time to see Manny pass Joe their ancestor's journal as she walked into the art studio.

"Xylda left us all our ancestors' demon-killing journals." Manny told the angel.

Joe gestured at the book and raised his brow at the text as he asked, "Are they all in Romanian?"

"Uh, I've been using an app to translate but it's slow going," Manny admitted. "Okay, so you say that I'm destined to fix this, that I'm—I'm the guy with the vision who can bridge the living and the dead."

"That's the prophecy," Joe stated as he glanced over the translated notes.

Manny huffed in resignation as he paced. "Who sealed the veil last time?" he wondered.

Joe paused in his reading to answer and Manny stopped pacing, "It didn't hold forever, obviously, but it was a shaman. Catori was his name. Weird guy..."

Winnie swallowed her giggle, at the same time Manny started to pace again.

"Tall. Covered in brands and tattoos," Joe finished.

"Didn't happen to tell you how he did it?"

Joe became somber and spoke haltingly, "He didn't survive. He went out to the crossroads alone. We found the body a day later. In pieces. Broken and burned."

Manny's face fell before he seemed to get an idea. "Where was he buried?"

"On sanctified ground," Joe said gesturing to the window as he stood and gazed across the street, "Underneath the Rev's church."

"Well, let's dig him up. Dead bodies, I can work with." Manny said as he came to stand beside the angel.

"Ah, you better work fast," the blonde said, "The veil's opening."

In the distance a sandstorm was making its way toward the town.

"We need to tell everyone to leave," Winnie said.

Joe nodded, "She's right, we need to get as many people out of here as we can."

"I'll go tell Emilio. We'll warn anyone who will listen," Winnie volunteered.

"You can start with those closest to the church, and I'll take the far side of town."

"I'll go tell the others what's happening," Manny said.

* * *

Manny and Joe met up with Emilio and Winnie at the church. Taking a pair of lights they had been using while fixing the inside, a pickaxe and three shovels, they all headed down to the basement.

"Where's Creek? Still with Fiji?" Emilio asked as they set up the lights.

"No. I told her to evacuate," Manny answered.

The reverend gave the medium a pointed look. "She's strong. Survived more than most."

"She doesn't need to survive this," the gypsy retorted.

"You're complicating it. You love her. Be with her."

Manny looked over to his sister, who just smirked, and rolled his eyes.

They began working in earnest, all three shovels stabbing into the ground while the pickaxe broke up the harder patches. Shovel-full after shovel-full was scooped up until the shovels hit something and the top of a small tomb was revealed.

"Joe," Winnie called as she handed over her shovel, which was taken with a raised brow. "I need a quick break," she explained as she started to rub the feeling back into her fingers.

The three men cleared away the dirt from the top.

Winnie winced as she finally voiced the thought that had been circling around in her brain. "You know I'm not trying to be annoying or anything," she began, "but this guy was buried a long time ago, right? So, uh, do we honestly think there will be anything left? I mean this guy has to be dust by now."

None of the others seemed to listen as they moved to open the lid.

"I thought you said he was tall," Manny commented.

"There wasn't much left of him to bury," was Joe's reply.

The men grunted as they pried off the stone slab and threw it aside. Manny pointed the flashlight into the coffin to reveal only dust and broken stones.

"That's what I was afraid of," Winnie said quietly.

"There has to be something left. Bones, clothes, anything," the male psychic said as they leaned further over the tomb.

The reverend reached in and moved the stones and dirt but found nothing. "I'm afraid not."

"It's been a thousand years. It was a long shot," Joe told them.

Manny looked to the blonde. "It was our only shot."

The sudden sound of gunshots startled them.

"What was that?" Emilio questioned.

Everyone was quick to leave the basement. Winnie was first being the only one standing and near the stairs.

"Run!" she yelled as they looked to see the screaming corpse-like figures coming towards them.

They scrambled across the street to Fiji's were the others were waiting, with Manny turning and closing the door just in time.

Winnie sneezed, the dirt in the air had not only gotten into her eyes, but up her nose, "…and I hate the beach, this is as bad as getting sand under your swimsuit…" she grumbled.

"What the hell are those things?" the male gypsy asked.

"Wraiths," answered Joe breathlessly, "Evil spirits heralding the arrival of a demon."

"Colconnar's coming," Emilio stated with his eyes on Fiji, who looked up in fear.

"Great, so now what do we do?" Olivia asks as she turns to look at Manny.

"What happened to Bobo?" Winnie asked quietly as she stepped toward the curled up figure of her friend.

"One of those things touched him," Olivia spat, angry that he was hurt.

"I've got something that will help," Fiji told the injured man as she slowly urged him into another room.

The others moved to get comfortable as they talked. Emilio leaned against a support column. Winnie wasn't far from the reverend as she propped her hip against Fiji's work table, while Olivia stood on the other side. Joe was facing Olivia, while Manny paced in the middle of them all.

Emilio spoke, "At least they're spirits. They can't come into this house."

"And Colconnar? What about him?" Olivia asked.

"He's not a spirit," Joe told her, "He's alive. Once he rises…"

"We're screwed," the blonde woman finished.

Manny turned as he reached the window slowly making his way back across the floor, "She's right. We've got no way to stop them. No way to stop Colconnar. We're sitting ducks."

"Quite the motivational speaker, aren't you?" The assassin says as he passes her.

"He's a realist," Winnie said with a scoff at the same time her brother started speaking.

"No, I'm—I'm a realist and my realistic self knows there's only one thing we can do," he turns back to look at the blonde, "Get out."

"So you bail just to come back and tell us all to bail?"

"I'm not saying we bail. I'm saying we get Fiji somewhere safe, we regroup, rethink come back with a plan to kill the wraiths and Colconnar."

"Joe and I are going to the garage," Emilio said before turning to leave. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Winnie move to follow but turned and shook his head.

The redhead gave a frown that was a hair's breadth away from being a pout but she didn't follow as he left.

Olivia stepped closer to Manny. "Well, before we leave, I need you to wake up a vampire."

Manny took a deep breath and nodded. When he went for the back door, he could hear someone behind him and turned to see his sister.

Holding up a hand as Manny opened his mouth, Winnie narrowed her eyes, "Don't even try it. Those things can burn you, at least I can hurt them back," as proof of her claim she laid her hand on the hilt of her sword, then shrugged, "besides I need to get the RV."

He swallowed and nodded, "Yeah, right. Let's go."

* * *

Entering through the back door of their house, Winnie went directly to the front door and grabbed her bag she had left there before turning and grabbing the handle.

It was just as she was twisting the door handle that the sound of dripping water came to her ears. The noise came again almost louder and a breeze buffed her cheek.

"Okay," the redhead said as she let go of the door, "…what…" just as she was speaking an image of Emilio flashed in her head and the message clicked, with wide-eyes she whispered, "Holy water."

Another drip sounded, this time even louder than the last. Walking back into the kitchen she grabbed the case of water bottles she had just opened the day before. As she turned to leave, her eyes strayed to the sink and she was unsurprised when she couldn't find a trace of water anywhere.

With a smirk and a quiet "thanks" she left.

* * *

Everyone was scrambling into the vampire bus and the RV was idling behind the large transport vehicle. Winnie watched as Lemuel got onto the bus, and then saw her brother talking to Fiji, who seemed reluctant to leave. Manny turned away and walked through Fiji's gate as the witch got onto the bus and a few seconds later the vehicle in front of the RV was moving.

Winnie quickly dialed her boyfriend's number, and was only a little surprised when Joe picked-up.

"What about my brother?" she asked rapidly.

" _He went back for Fiji's cat. Manny took the keys to her car before telling Bobo we should go,_ " the angel explained.

Winnie huffed, "Alright. I'm right behind you, just—just keep me on speaker," he said as she too pulled onto the road to follow the bus.

The redheaded psychic kept her phone to her ear as she drove, and could hear when Olivia answered a call from her brother.

" _Guys. Behind us,_ " Manny's voice said.

With a glance to the rearview, Winnie could see Creeks care and the sandstorm coming for them.

" _Olivia!_ " Emilio's voice sounded slightly worried.

The blonde assassin's voice was incredulous, " _It's following us?_ "

" _We gotta get some distance_ ," Manny told everyone.

" _Well we can't outrun it in a tour bus,_ " Olivia snapped.

" _We need to hold up somewhere without windows, somewhere nearby_ ," Bobo said.

" _Where?_ " Creek asked.

" _Take that road. I know the perfect place_ ," Bobo spoke, possibly to Emilio, who Winnie assumed was driving the bus.

Brakes screeched on the bus as it made a sharp turn to the right. Winnie moved the hand she was holding the phone in to the steering wheel so she could make the turn as well.

Putting the phone back to her ear, Winnie jokingly said, "Did everyone hold onto their potatoes? Hey, it's shaken not stirred, Tiger."

Olivia's voice grumbled over the speaker, " _It felt like both_."

The three vehicles pulled up outside of The Cartoon Saloon and everyone scrambled to get inside.

Winnie and Manny saw Fiji hesitate at the door and as she seemed to be heading back outside the twins grabbed her and brought her in, Manny closing the doors behind them.

"So much for outrunning the storm," Lemuel commented as he took off the hat and scarf he had used to cover himself, "It's following us."

"No," Fiji said her voice shaking and she seemed rattled, "It's me. It's...It's following me."

"Fij…" Bobo said as he stepped toward her, "There's something you're not saying?"

"If you know why the storm is chasing you, it's time you tell us," Manny pleaded.

"Keeping secrets in a life or death situation is not a good idea," Winnie added.

Fiji took a breath before speaking, "I don't know why Colconnar's after me."

"And I've got prime real-estate on the Moon," Winnie said as she gently took the cat carrier from her brother.

Manny shot his sister a look before stepping around Fiji to look the witch in the eye. "You and I were there, that first time Colconnar showed. He threw me out. Went after you. Grabbed you."

"G—Get out of the way," Fiji stuttered as she tried to walk away.

"He's been talking to you ever since," the psychic stated as he walked next to the witch keeping a hold on her arm so she couldn't leave, "Has he told you something? Why he's after you and no one else?"

"I said I don't know!" the brunette woman yelled, and a light in the ceiling exploded causing her and Creek to let out startled cries.

"Fij!" Olivia spoke sharply, her tone demanding as she asked, "What is going on?"

Manny moved away to give Fiji space and stopped beside his sister, who was still holding the carrier.

The witch looked at the others but didn't respond.

"We're all here to protect you," Bobo said calmly, "You owe us the truth. What…"

He was interrupted as Fiji blurted out, "I'm a virgin!"

Suddenly the whole room was quiet and everyone had their eyes on the dark-skinned woman.

"I'm a virgin witch, a powerful virgin witch, and that is why it wants me," she finally admitted with a quivering voice.

"Well, um…" Manny began, "thanks for being honest. I, uh…" Manny stopped shutting his eyes hard and shaking his head.

Joe tried to smooth over the male psychic's awkwardness, "Yeah. Glad to know the truth."

"I'm not," Lemuel said bluntly.

"What difference does it make?" Creek questioned.

"Virgin witches, especially older ones," the dark-skinned woman explained as she gave a shy glance to Bobo who stood in front of her, "we're rare. Powerful. That thing wants my magic."

"Well, it's not getting anywhere near—" Bobo started as he tried to comfort her.

Fiji stepped back. "No, please don't!" she exclaimed, "This is the most embarrassing moment of my life, so if you don't mind, I'm just gonna need a minute." She picked up a bag that had been left on the stage and then turned to Winnie and reached for the pet carrier, "The cat."

Winnie carefully handed it over and watched as Fiji walked into another room. She bit her lip before turning to the others who had started to move away.

"There's more," the redhead said quietly drawing the others attention, "Last night I heard the herald that spoke to Fiji…"

"Why didn't you tell us," Manny demanded.

"Why didn't Fiji," his sister countered, "Anyway, it said something about Fiji hurting the people she loves," Winnie turned to Bobo, "I don't know why, but I can 'feel' that for some reason she's afraid of hurting you specifically. It may be up to you to help her overcome that fear."

Bobo nodded silently, and everyone started to move around the room and get comfortable.

Winnie went to sit with Manny, both placed their bags on the table and sat as Manny pulled out a journal.

"Give me that," Winnie said as she gently took the book from his hand, "I actually know Romanian." She scooted her chair to sit beside him as she started to read out loud and he wrote down the translations.

"…that probably won't help," Winnie commented as she finished reading about a demon possession, "Once the veils open, Joe says he'll be able to come through in his true form."

They thumb a few pages before she stops, "This passage is talking about lost souls," she explained.

They share a look and Manny nods. "That just might help," he replies and gestures to the book, "Read it to me."

Winnie had just finished telling her brother what was written, when Creek joined them. "No pressure, but do you have any idea how to fix this?" she questioned.

The male twin's shoulders slumped as he answered, "Not a one. I can't fix this."

The waitress took a seat, "Well, I'm gonna choose to believe you can. Don't lose faith."

"It's not faith, it's fact," he stated bitterly, "Fiji is a lot more powerful that I am, and…" he paused as he seemed to realize something.

The brunette woman nodded for him to go on.

"And…And leading sometimes means knowing when to delegate," he finished as he reached for his stuff and got up heading towards the opening Fiji had disappeared into earlier, Winnie hot on his heels, though the female psychic had caught the smile that appeared on the waitress' lips.

They found the witch pouring over a collection of open books and other things covering one of the pool tables.

"These are some curses my ancestors used. To punish the wicked. To vanquish demons," Manny started explaining as he laid down the journal, "Here, I, uh, translated what I could."

"And then I read the rest to him," Winnie informed the other woman.

The witch leaned over to read the notes Manny had taken. "This is very dark magic," commented Fiji.

"Meaning dangerous as hell," he concurred, and received a nod from both women, "Then again, so is Colconnar."

The brunette woman's eyes looked from the man to his twin, who gave a small shrug. "Don't have much to lose that isn't already in danger," the redhead said.

With pursed lips Fiji walked around and opened a cylindrical traveling case. "Gypsy dark magic…meet witchcraft dark magic." she voiced while pulling out a leather bound book that she placed next to the journal.

A while later the three exited the back room. Everyone's attention was suddenly on the psychics and witch.

Joe was the first to speak, "We were getting worried."

"Might still want to be worried," Manny stated.

Then Fiji explained, "We combined a curse, with an ancient witches' spell to get answers."

"Problem is," the psychic continued, "it's, um…it's black magic. Meaning, it needs a sacrifice."

Winnie's eyes fell to the floor, as she dreaded what would be said next.

"Okay," Olivia says with reluctant acceptance, "An eye? Finger?"

"A life," Fiji answers, voice choked with emotion, "Answers given in exchange for a life."

"So that's a no," Creek says succinctly.

Winnie looks up at the waitress and her lips quirk at the girl's words, but then her eyes widen as the weretiger sitting beside Creek rose.

"Take me," were the words that came out of Emilio's mouth, and Winnie felt like someone hit her in the chest.

"What?" the gypsy woman asked breathlessly, her hand automatically moving to clutch the stone pendant around her neck and her fingers trembled.

Lemuel stood from the bar. "Don't be ridiculous Emilio."

"I'm not," the black clad man replied, "I've taken many lives…"

"We all have," Olivia disputed his statement.

"…but saving Midnight can be my way of making amends."

"Everybody, just shut up," a familiar voice said from the stage, where Mr. Snuggly was front and center, "Take me. I'm sick of this life."

"Is that cat talking?" Olivia asked, tone incredulous as she pointed her finger accusingly.

"He is."

"Yep."

Bobo and Winnie said simultaneously.

Olivia's head swiveled from the pawn shop owner to the redhead. Everyone else was glancing around to see how the others were taking the sudden revelation.

"I'm really old. My bones ache. I've spent the last seven years without her. I want to see Mildred," the cat stated his reasons to the silent room.

"You've been by my side for so long—" Fiji said and was cut off by the cat.

"But I never liked you."

Fiji nodded and tried to keep from showing how the statement affected her. "I know."

"Don't be an asshole," Winnie quietly reprimanded, before picking the animal up to cradle him close and scratch his head. "Besides," she says looking at the others, "The best case scenario is that it doesn't work, because the worst scenario is that it does. The sacrifice is a part of the gypsy curse. Gypsy black magic always calls for a personal sacrifice from the gypsy casting it. Combined with witches' magic…we don't know what will happen."

"We have to try," Manny reminded her.

She heaved a sigh and nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone approaching and looked to see Emilio stop at her side. The gypsy woman shook her head at the dark-haired man, before turning to help the other two magic users.

"Winnie…" he said as he watched her walk away.

Mr. Snuggly's head popped up over the psychic's shoulder, "I'd be quiet if I were you, Rev. You're already in a heap o' trouble. Telling a room full of friends that you don't care whether you live or die, when each of 'em would go through hell for you. Hm."

With those final words both gypsy and cat disappeared around the corner into the back room again.

* * *

It took a while to set everything up, and they all stood gathered around a circle as Fiji used her magic to cast the spell; Mr. Snuggly sat inside the circle watching just as expectantly as the others.

Several of the group winced in sympathy when the athame sliced through the skin of Fiji's palm and everyone pretended not to hear her words as she whispered to the cat.

"Give Aunt Mildred a kiss for me," then with her head back, eyes closed and palms open, Fiji began, "We offer this life for an answer."

There was a beat before the witch took in a deep gasping breath, but as she exhaled a large black cloud rushed out of her open mouth.

The black miasma flowed into the circle where it spun and whirled like a small tornado.

"Hey, why am I not dead?" the feline questioned as the darkness writhed around him.

Winnie's eyes widened as a vision flashed through her mind, causing her to quickly turn and throw her arms around her brother, Manny's arms curling around her reflexively as he looked down into her green eyes.

 _The male psychic turned blue like a corpse as he fell to the ground._

What the redhead hadn't known was that the same thing would happen to her. As Manny slumped in Winnie's arms, the seer felt her own strength leave her. Numbing cold flashed through their bodies and breath caught in their lungs.

"Manfred," Creek called.

Bobo's voice sounded as concerned as the waitress' as he called, "Winifred?"

The twins fell to the floor in a tangle, lifeless.

* * *

Opening their eyes, the siblings found themselves standing on the street in Midnight; but everything was bathed in cool light, leaving them in a blue monochrome world.

The sound of a bell ringing drew their attention to the church where a figure stood. An older man dressed in furs was watching them, his body covered in scars and tattoos.

Manny was the first to speak as he realized who the figure was, "You're the shaman. Cato—"

The man spoke up, "Catori. Any you are?"

"Manfred," the brother said as the sister answered, "Winifred."

"So this is…this is death?" the brunette twin asked quietly.

The shaman nodded before confirming, "This is death."

With a slightly surprised huff Manny replied, "I like it here. It's peaceful. A lot more peaceful than Midnight is at the moment."

"That's for sure," Winnie said quietly and with a small grin.

"Is Xylda around?"

"Don't you have a question for me?" the other man asked abruptly.

"Yeah. Sorry," the psychic replied trying to focus past the calm feeling that had enveloped them and on the reason they were there, "How do I close the veil?"

Winnie squeezed her brother's hand, only then did she realize they had been clasped together the whole time.

Suddenly the shaman was standing in front of them, and he leaned over to whisper in their ears. The words were spoken in a foreign language, one they didn't know but could strangely understand.

When he was done speaking the shaman pulled back and nodded in finality.

"Thank you," the redhead said with a smile before looking over at her brother, "We should go back now."

"How?" he asked her.

"Together," Catori said in a tone that implied he was teasing, "You came here looking for an answer. You have found it, it is time for you to leave."

Manny's brow furrowed as he looked to his sister, "Why did it take us both?"

"I can see that you two share a strong bond, one that transcends death. It can be a great help and a terrible burden," Catori informed them, "Now go and save your home."

With a weightless feeling they fell into darkness and awoke in their bodies, gasping in precious air as their hearts pounded in their chests.

Creek let out a surprised cry as she scrambled off of Manny's chest. Winnie shook as the numbness in her limbs left as quickly as it had come, and she felt the arms that had been around her tighten as she was cradled against someone's chest.

Turning to the person holding her, the redhead found familiar brown eyes, eyes that were flooded with relief and a lingering hind of grief.

"Hey, Tiger," Winnie said quietly through gasping breaths as she reached for Emilio's face.

The weretiger huffed out a stilted breath that was caught somewhere between happiness and surprise. A tear finally fell from dark eyes as a thumb brushed over his cheek and was quickly swept away by warm fingers, which only a moment ago had been ice cold.

"Hey! Your heart was stopped," Bobo said as he came closer.

"What the hell?" Olivia questioned breathily in shock.

"Fiji's spell," the brunette told them, "It worked."

The groups eyes widened in surprise.

"You got answers?" Joe asked.

"Yeah," Manny said as he looked at Creek, who smiled softly back, "I met the shaman. Where's Fiji?" he asked as he continued to look around the group.

The whole group seemed to turn at the same time but the witch was no longer in there. Bobo was the first to scramble for the door.

"Fiji!" he yelled as he burst through the exterior doors and into the storm outside, and the others followed.

Manny stopped as he passed Bobo. "She's going to him," he said eyes gazing into the darkness and toward Midnight.


End file.
